INSIDE
MOVING ON TO THE BIG DANCE
• Police warn of posting information on social media sites • Lee County Library now SC Works site
Sumter Ponytails move on to Dixie World Series
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A2 VOL. 118, NO. 231 WWW.THEITEM.COM
FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2013 | SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA
FOUNDED OCTOBER 15, 1894
60 CENTS
Gang leader gets life in prison Jury finds 29-year-old Sumter man guilty of ordering ’11 fatal shooting
Mickey M. Johnson, 29, sits quietly on Tuesday at the Sumter County Judicial Center during the first day of testimony in the state’s case against him. On Thursday, Johnson was sentenced to life in prison after a jury found him guilty of ordering a hit.
BY ROBERT J. BAKER bbaker@theitem.com Mickey M. Johnson has spent 28 months in a Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center jail cell since he was accused by law enforcement of ordering a shooting that left 27-year-old Adrian Davis of Friendship Apartments dead. Johnson, 29, will spend
ROBERT J. BAKER / THE ITEM
the rest of his life in prison after a jury found him guilty on Thursday of accessory before the fact to a murder, pointing and presenting a firearm, unlawful carrying of a pistol and criminal conspiracy. At-large Circuit Court Judge Williams Seals Jr. sentenced Johnson to life for the first charge, with concurrent sentences of one to five years for the others.
State Assistant Attorneys General Cary Goings and Curtis A. Pauling argued during their case, which started Tuesday before Seals at the Sumter County Judicial Center, that Johnson ordered Rasheed B. Brandon, 23, Bryant Deante Bradley, 22, and John W. Stamps Jr., to drive to Friendship SEE JOHNSON, PAGE A6
Heavy downpour floods much of area Jobless rate
jumps to 9.9 percent in Sumter BY BRADEN BUNCH bbunch@theitem.com
See your photos of the flooding
A3 MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER / THE ITEM
A truck drives through flood waters around the Mallwood area on Wednesday after heavy rains pounded the Sumter area.
Public works crews spend hours on cleanup
TIPS FOR DEALING WITH DELUGE
Works and (state) Department of Transportation get crews out when ditches are flooded, and they’ve got crews riding around spot checking. If it is something they can alleviate, they will. So much of it is we’ve had so much rain the past six months that the water tables have risen, and there is no place for the water to go.” In some parts of town, the total rain that fell in less than an hour is more. “Calls are coming in nonstop,” said Al Harris, assistant city manager. “We had workers up and out until about
• Don’t go out in it unless absolutely necessary. • If you can’t see the roadway, don’t drive through the water. You don’t know how deep it is or if the road is still there, especially with rural, dirt roads. • If a home or business owner, get flood insurance. • If a tenant, purchase renters’ insurance. • If water is coming in under a door, move items that might be damaged as quickly as possible. • If the item can’t be moved, such as furniture, put aluminum foil around the legs. • For car mats, replace or dry out well and use deodorizers. • Be careful of mold and mildew. Remove affected areas and have professionals treat with growth-inhibiting chemicals such as sporicide. Sources: Al Harris, assistant city manager; Erik Hayes, emergency management director for Sumter County; Charles Bostic Jr., State Farm Insurance; Hiram Spittle, owner of Spittle’s Cleaning and Restoration
BY JADE ANDERSON janderson@theitem.com Many places around Sumter experienced flooding following Wednesday’s downpour, which measured 2.15 inches, according to Shaw Air Force Base’s weather station. Public works crews from city, county and state agencies were out fixing what they could Thursday. “We’ve had a few calls, even some from some of our volunteer support agencies (such as) Salvation Army and the American Red Cross,” said Erik Hayes, emergency management director for Sumter County. “Public
SEE FLOODING, PAGE A10
The Sumter County unemployment rate jumped dramatically in June, climbing to 9.9 percent, the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce said Thursday. The increase, however, comes as a recent study of job conditions in cities nationwide says Sumter is showing significant improvement. According to statistics from the DEW, Sumter’s June unemployment rate increase of 0.9 percentage points could be attributed both to a slight decrease in the number of people actually working while at the same time the total number of people in the area labor force continued to grow. As is often the case during the summer months, the pattern of a growing labor force repeated itself in counties across South Carolina, as 44 of the state’s 46 counties saw increases in their unemployment rates. This included Clarendon County, which saw its unemployment rate climb a full percentage point to 12.7 percent, as well as Lee County, which climbed 1.1 percentage points to 11.1 percent. The two South Carolina counties SEE JOBLESS, PAGE A10
Gear Up for Learning seeks school supplies BY IVY MOORE ivym@theitem.com This year marks the 15th annual Gear Up for Learning campaign sponsored by United Ministries of Sumter County. The group has set a goal of collecting 1,850 bags of supplies for students in the county. Unfortunately, despite having sent out cards to businesses, churches and other organizations, the
response to its requests for donations has been slower in coming this summer, according to Executive Director Mark Champagne. “It may be our communication isn’t working or because of the economy,” he said Wednesday afternoon, “so we’re hoping donations will start coming in soon.” On the other hand, Champagne said, “Volunteer support has been
incredible,” with plenty of hands to collect, sort and pack the school kits. Denise Spivey, cochairwoman of Gear Up for Learning with Rosanne Christie, said the program is set up so that anyone can afford to make a donation. “We try to concentrate on the basic tools students need to do their school work,” she said. SEE SUPPLIES, PAGE A10
20 N. Magnolia St. Sumter, SC 29150 (USPS 525-900)
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From left, Denise Spivey, Mark Champagne and Carole McCaskey look through some of the supplies that have been donated for United Ministries’ annual Gear Up for Learning campaign. The nonprofit organization seeks to collect essential school supplies to benefit local students whose families might not be able to afford them. IVY MOORE / THE ITEM
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