SPORTS •JO JO ENGLISH talks about first practice as new Sumter High head boys basketball coach. • HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE SET VOL. 119, NO. 19 WWW.THEITEM.COM
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2013 | SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA
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Mayesville man convicted of using Fed money to pay debt ‘Sovereign citizen’ tried to pass $3M-plus in fraudulent checks BY ROB COTTINGHAM rcottingham@theitem.com COLUMBIA — A Mayesville man faces 25 years in prison after being convicted of attempting to pass fraudulent government checks. Charlie McCants Jr., 66, of Mayesville, was tried by a jury and found guilty of seven
counts of attempting to pass bogus government checks Monday, according to a news release from the of- McCANTS fices of U.S. Attorney William N. Nettles. During the trial, it was revealed McCants claimed to
be a “sovereign citizen,” which is “a U.S. citizen who rejects their citizen status and claim the government is operating outside of its jurisdiction,” the release reads. Sovereign citizens generally don’t recognize any form of government authority, from the federal level to local governments, and “renounce their
obligation to adhere to the laws, policies or regulations created by those governments.” Under this premise, McCants filed several bizarre documents in which he renounced his citizenship and somehow established a practice in which he used the U.S. Treasury to pay his debts.
The battle’s in the beats
McCants’ name and his fraudulent endeavors might seem familiar to some locals. On Oct. 9, 2009, McCants and an accomplice reportedly purchased two Dodge pickup trucks from Sumter Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge using what appeared to be an SEE McCANTS, PAGE A10
Woman died before car hit Bullock: Heart attack killed 62-year-old BY ROB COTTINGHAM rcottingham@theitem.com
ing the crowd with their own styles and themes. While the afternoon grew
A 62-year-old woman initially thought to be the victim of a Warren Street hit and run on Friday night died before the incident. According to Sumter County Coroner Harvin Bullock, Doretta Bradham Johnson of Columbia died from a heart attack before being struck by a vehicle about 8:30 p.m. Friday. “From what the autopsy shows us, Ms. Johnson died from myocardial infarction,” BULLOCK Bullock said. “We originally thought the cause of death would be blunt force trauma, but it just wasn’t the case this time.” Bullock said the evidence from the autopsy indicated the victim didn’t die long before her body was struck by the vehicle near the intersection of Warren Court and Warren Street. “From what we can tell, she died shortly before she was struck,” he said. “But we definitely know it was a heart attack given the lack of blood from the incident.” Bullock explained that, while the body suffered several broken bones, there was very little blood at the scene because the heart had stopped beating. The hit and run is still being investigated, however. “The hit and run is part of the incident as a whole, so we’re still looking into that and
SEE BATTLE, PAGE A6
SEE HIT AND RUN, PAGE A10
TYLER SIMPSON / SPECIAL TO THE ITEM
The South Carolina State University Marching 101 Bulldog drumline entertains the crowd at Donald L. Crolley Memorial Stadium in Dalzell on Sunday night as it closes the Crestwood High School Battle of the Bands with an exhibition performance.
Schools rock out at Battle of the Bands BY TYLER SIMPSON Special to the Item The blare of horns and the sturdy pound of bass drums echoed throughout Donald Crolley Memorial Stadium Sunday as eight marching bands took the field to compete in the 8th Annual Crestwood High School Battle of the Bands. The event, which was sponsored and organized
by the Crestwood marching band program, drew a large crowd. The turnout was actually larger than expected, according to Crestwood Band Director Brian Moss. “What a blast,” said Moss. “Perfect weather, good food, a lot of people and many talented bands. It doesn’t get better than that.” The event didn’t consist of bands that simply
8TH ANNUAL CRESTWOOD HIGH SCHOOL BATTLE OF THE BANDS RESULTS: Best Overall: Pine Forest High School Best Drum Line: Class A - Darlington High School Class B - Lower Richland High School Class C - Pine Forest High School Best Auxiliary Color Guard and Dance Class A - Darlington High School Class B - Lower Richland High School Class C - Pine Forest High School Best Horn Line Class A - Woodland High School Class B - Dillon High School Class C - Pine Forest High School
Best Drum Major Class A - Lamar High School Class B - Dillon High School Class C - Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School Best Marching Class A - Darlington High School Class B - Lower Richland High School Class C - Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School Best Rating of Excellence Class A - Lamar High School Class B - Lower Richland High School Class C - Pine Forest High School
marched and played music. All the participating bands also danced and high-stepped in show-stop style, entertain-
Fireside Fund comes just in time for cooler temperatures BY JACK OSTEEN jack@theitem.com The Item’s annual Fireside Fund has officially begun, and along with it has come some chilly nights as well. This year’s Fireside Fund is dedicated to the late Glenn Sharp, one of Sumter’s greatest philanthropists and businessmen. Founded in 1969, the Fireside Fund collects money for those Sumterites who need help with heating costs including past-due electric bills and vouchers for kerosene and wood. The Item collects the money, and the Sal-
vation Army interviews candidates. Pamela Lassiter, social worker with the Salvation Army, said she began getting calls in mid-October and said she was able to help many families last year but thinks the need will be ever greater this coming season. “I have been getting lots of calls and walk-ins for kerosene. I have begun setting appointments to give vouchers,” Lassiter said. “There have been between 75 and 100 calls so far for kerosene.” She encourages anyone needing assistance to call to make an appointment and a to get a list of documenta-
20 N. Magnolia St. Sumter, SC 29150 (USPS 525-900)
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2013-14 Dedicated to the memory of Glen Sharp tion needed for the assistance. “It’s looks as though this will be a very busy year again, and I ask those in need to please be patient as we get to each one of you,” Lassiter said. “I
DEATHS Information: 774-1200 Advertising: 774-1236 Classifieds: 774-1234 Delivery: 774-1258 News, Sports: 774-1226
Yusuf Rami Bey John H. Reynolds Annie Mae Singletary John D. McLane Dominic J. Leali Allen Craig Grant
Blanche E. Smith Carola M. Jett Ruby M. Vanderburg Audrey J. Baxter David M. Gunter B5, B6
remind everyone this is the busy time of year for us as well, and I will be doing a lot of other things as well for SEE FIRESIDE, PAGE A10
OUTSIDE CLOUDY
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Lots of cloud coverage with breaks of sunlight in the day; partly cloudy and chilly at night. HIGH: 64 LOW: 49 A10
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