‘He was everything I ever wanted’

Greenwood woman recovering at home
following wreck that killed husband

August 23, 2006

By MEGAN VARNER
Index-Journal senior staff writer

Though Michelle Cason doesn’t remember any details about the night of Aug. 1, it will be a date she and her family members will never forget.
It was on that night that Cason and her husband, 23-year-old Tanner Chaise Cason, were involved in a deadly two-car wreck at the intersection of S.C. Bypass 225 and Florida Avenue, about a half-mile west of Greenwood.
Tanner, an avid musician and a welder with the Goodrich Corp., was fatally injured in the wreck. He died just one day before his 24th birthday.
Three weeks later, Michelle, 24, has recovered enough to return home, after spending time in hospitals in Greenwood, Columbia and Greenville.
Her arm and leg are wrapped in pearly-white casts, and injuries to her pelvis and tailbone have kept her wheelchair-bound since the wreck. Occupational and physical therapists visit her twice a week for 45-minute sessions, and family, friends and visitors flow through her sister’s Greenwood home — where she is staying until she recovers — throughout the day.
The constant activity helps keep Michelle’s mind off the other consequences of the wreck, she said.
“I constantly have people here,” she said, “which is good. I haven’t had time at all to think about everything.”
The wreck occurred just after 9 p.m. when a reported stolen car collided with the Casons’ sport utility vehicle at the intersection. The other vehicle, a Ford Escort driven by 26-year-old Antwon Lanier, disregarded the stop sign on Florida Avenue and collided with the driver’s side of the Casons’ Jeep Grand Cherokee with enough force to push the sport utility vehicle 25 yards from the roadway, police reports said.
Lanier was injured in the wreck, and his passenger, 16-year-old Greenwood resident Amber Nicole Hamilton, was ejected from the vehicle during the crash. She was flown to a hospital in Greenville, where she later died from her injuries.
Michelle and Tanner had visited Tanner’s family in the hours before the wreck, making plans for his birthday and sharing in his excitement for an upcoming job interview, Tanner’s mother, Tiara Cason, said.
“He was amazing,” Tiara said of her son. “He was very focused on his music, and he was a very honorable son and husband. They (Tanner and Michelle) loved each other like I have never seen a married couple love each other.”
Tiara said her son was a lead guitarist in a local band, adding that he had just signed a contract and had begun to schedule performances.
“He was really excited about his life,” Tiara said. “He was really living his dream. He was just on the verge of accomplishing the long-term goals he had set as a child.”
Michelle said it was Tanner’s talent, passion and compassion for others that drew her to him. The pair, who had known each other since middle school, began dating after Michelle listened to him perform. They had been married a little more than a year.
“He was a wonderful husband, and he was everything that I ever wanted,” Michelle said. “We had so much in common, and he was loving and caring — not just for me, but for everyone else.
“He was my best friend,” Michelle said.
Michelle hasn’t been back to her home since the wreck, but Tiara said she and her family have made the difficult trip. Those “first” moments — seeing Tanner and Michelle’s home and Tanner’s belongings for the first time after his death — were emotional for the family, Tiara said.
“This is still very difficult for all of us, but we have been able to progress a little further into the grief process than Michelle because she has been in the hospital,” Tiara said. “All those first little things we were able to touch and see and feel that were so dear to Tanner, Michelle has not been able to do those things yet to progress to the point where we are.”
But when Michelle is ready to go home, Tiara said family members will be there to support her. That support has already been a big part of helping Michelle and Tiara make it through the past three weeks.
“If it hadn’t been for the love of family, our church family and our faith in God, I know I couldn’t have survived this,” Tiara said. “The community’s support has been wonderful.”
Tiara said she has spoken with Hamilton’s family, adding that they have made plans to do some things together to help cope with their losses.
“They are hurting like we are hurting,” Tiara said. “We are just there for each other.”
Michelle and Tiara said the few moments of the day when family and friends aren’t around are the most difficult.
“When the night falls and everything is quiet and everybody is gone, that is when we are left with our own thoughts and that’s when all the longing and missing him comes in,” Tiara said. “The emptiness is always going to be there. You just have to learn how to deal with it.”
And the family has not only had to deal with grief in the wake of the wreck, but also anger at the fact that the wreck even occurred.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol charged Lanier with three counts of felony DUI following the wreck, and Greenwood Police Department officials had attempted to stop the man just moments before the wreck occurred. Reports said Lanier sped away from police at the traffic stop and officers lost sight of the vehicle. When the officers arrived at the intersection of Florida Avenue and Bypass 225, the wreck had already happened.
The feeling of anger, Tiara said, didn’t hit her until she went to a salvage yard to retrieve her son’s belongings from his vehicle. As she was climbing out of the twisted metal that had been Tanner’s Jeep Grand Cherokee, Tiara said she saw the Ford Escort that had been involved in the wreck.
“When I looked in (the Ford Escort) and saw the Budweiser can in the back floorboard, the senselessness of all this came rushing down on me, and I became angry at that moment,” she said. “For me, (getting over that anger) has been a lot of prayer and having to practice the principle of forgiveness that I taught my children.”
Tiara and Michelle said they knew vengeance would never bring Tanner back, but both said they would like to see justice after the wreck.
“I would like to see the guy (charged in the wreck) get into some kind of recovery program to get treatment. I have a heart for people in recovery, and despite the fact that he took something so precious from me, I still wish that for him,” Tiara added. “I want to be merciful. I don’t wish that he not suffer the consequences of his actions, but I hope that he finds peace with himself and with God.”
Tiara said she would like to see tougher laws and penalties for evading arrest and failing to stop for a blue light, and she said she hopes people realize that the consequences of their actions can have a drastic impact on their own lives and the lives of others.
“Failing to accept responsibility for your actions and stop for a blue light can result in something this devastating,” Tiara said. “This is a prime example of the devastation and destruction that wrong choices can bring on families. This is permanent. There is no fixing this.”

Students to get 2nd chance before paying tobacco fine

August 23, 2006

By BOBBY HARRELL
Index-Journal staff writer

A new South Carolina law fines minors for possessing tobacco, but Greenwood School District 50 students will only be fined after the second offense, district officials said.
The Youth Access to Tobacco Prevention Act of 2006, which went into effect Monday, states that children younger than 18 can be fined $25 for possession of tobacco products, Robert McClinton, assistant superintendent for administration, said in a letter to parents.
The letter was sent out before school started.
McClinton said the fine was moved to the second and third offense to give students with a tobacco problem a chance to kick the habit in counseling before making them pay the fine.
McClinton worked with law enforcement officials to make sure the fine could be moved to a more serious school offense.
Giving the fine for a second offense is a general guideline, not a hard and fast rule said Chief Deputy Mike Frederick, of the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office.
The GCSO will abide by school rules, barring any special circumstances such as students who disobey the rule repeatedly without attempting to quit.
GCSO’s vice unit, which handles underaged tobacco and alcohol enforcement, hasn’t had any cases dealing with the new law yet, Frederick said.
The district is asking parents to help their children stop using tobacco, McClinton said.
He said he hopes parents will encourage students to take advantage of counseling.
Sherry Crittendon said she supports the new law to keep her children from using tobacco.
“I don’t have any complaints against it,” she said.
Crittendon said she hopes the new law will make it harder for children to use tobacco.
Vanessa Felton also agrees with the new law, but said it will only stop children from using tobacco if parents and children get involved and stick with it.
Tobacco is as easy for minors to get as alcohol, she said.
“You don’t know where they get it from,” Felton said.
Students will still face punishment according to the District 50 Students Rights and Responsibilities Handbook for using or possessing tobacco products at school, but the fine will added to second and third offenses, McClinton said.
The first offense will suspend students for three days, require them to receive counseling to combat their tobacco use and officials will send a referral to parents.
Second offenses will require the $25 fine, suspend students for five days and officials will send a referral to law enforcement, McClinton said.
Third offenses also have the $25 fine and will suspend students for eight days.
The district wants students to take the new law seriously, McClinton said.

Bixby trial could leave Abbeville

Death penalty notice dismissed for Rita Bixby in shooting case

August 23, 2006

By MEGAN VARNER
Index-Journal senior staff writer

ABBEVILLE — Court hearings brought about major developments in the case of a mother and son charged in connection with the December 2003 shooting deaths of two Abbeville County lawmen.
Eighth Circuit Solicitor Jerry Peace said defense attorneys for Steven Bixby made a motion Monday to move their client’s double murder trial from Abbeville County to another location because of security concerns, and attorneys for Rita Bixby successfully motioned to have a death penalty notice against their client dismissed.
Steven Bixby is charged with murder in the deaths of Abbeville Sheriff’s Sgt. Danny Wilson and constable Donnie Ouzts, who had gone to the Bixby home on S.C. 72 to mediate a land dispute related to the widening of the highway. His mother, Rita Bixby, is charged with accessory before the fact of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and misprision of a felony, which means failure to report the planning of a crime. Steven Bixby’s father, Arthur Bixby, has also been charged with murder in connection with the shootings.
In 2005, Steven Bixby’s attorneys argued for a change-of-venue motion because of the dramatic impact the case had on the Abbeville community, and Circuit Judge Marc Westbrook instructed Abbeville County Sheriff Charles Goodwin to prepare a security plan for trial officials to review before he made his decision on where to have the trial. Westbrook was killed in a traffic wreck in September before making his decision, and Tenth Circuit Judge Alexander Macaulay, who took over the case, said in December that he thought the trial should remain in Abbeville.
In July of this year, Macaulay ruled that the jury for Steven Bixby’s trial would come from Chesterfield County, but Peace said security concerns about the location were still present.
“The issue has not really been addressed,” Peace said.
Peace said the judge, prosecutors, defense attorneys, State Law Enforcement Division agents and sheriff’s officials toured the courthouses in Abbeville and Greenwood counties on Monday. He said Macaulay is expected to make a decision on the location soon.
During the hearings on Monday, lawyers for Rita Bixby made a motion for a speedy trial, Peace said, but the motion was denied by the judge. Peace said the speedy trial motion centers on four key factors, which include the length of the trial’s delay, the reason for the delay and whether the defendant had made the motion before.
Rita Bixby’s attorneys also argued that the death penalty notice against their client be dismissed, and Peace said the judge agreed with the defense.
The state had originally intended to seek the death penalty against both Bixbys, but the decision Monday means the death penalty will not be sought in Rita Bixby’s trial.
At a hearing in April, Rita Bixby’s lawyers motioned that the crimes charged against their client did not rise to the level of the death penalty in South Carolina. According to reports, Rita Bixby never fired a shot during the 13-hour standoff with authorities that ensued after the two Abbeville lawmen were killed, and the woman was not in the house where the shootings took place.
One of Bixby’s attorneys argued that the state’s notice to seek the death penalty violated state law and the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution. The case would have set a precedent in death penalty trials.
“There are no reported cases where anybody with her charges has faced the death penalty,” Peace said. But he added, “The plain reading (of the state law codes) would lead you to think that you could seek the death penalty.”
Peace said the judge’s decision to dismiss the death penalty notice against Rita Bixby “had the biggest impact” for prosecutors during Monday’s hearings.
However, Peace said he wasn’t shocked at the decision.
“There are no reported cases, so it could have gone either way,” Peace said.
Prosecutors have 10 days to appeal the decision, and Peace said he plans to meet with the state attorney general’s office to make a decision on an appeal, which would be heard in an appellate court.
Peace said Monday’s hearings were scheduled for prosecutors and attorneys to see where they were in preparation for Steven Bixby’s trial, which is scheduled to begin Oct. 2. No trial date has been scheduled for Rita Bixby, but Peace said Macaulay will preside over both trials.

Myrtle Akers

GREENWOOD – Myrtle Smith Akers, 75, resident of McCormick Health Care Center and formerly of 170 Cherokee Drive, Greenwood, widow of Claude J. Akers, died Monday, August 21, 2006 at Self Regional Medical Center.
She was born in Phenix City, AL and was the former owner of Balloons n’ Things.
She was preceded in death by a daughter, Teresa Gamble and two grandchildren, Nicholas Gamble and Kristina Gamble.
Surviving is a son, John Malott of Suwanee, GA.
A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at Oakbrook Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to McCormick Health Care Center, 204 Holiday Road, McCormick, SC 29835.
Harley Funeral Home and Crematory is in charge of arrangements.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.harleyfuneralhome.com.
PAID OBITUARY

Ethel A. Garvin

ABBEVILLE, SC – Ethel A. Garvin, 85, of 3186 Hwy 20, wife of the late Quincy Garvin, died at her residence Monday, August 21, 2006. Mrs. Garvin was born in Barnwell County to the late Thomas and Inez Black Aldrich.
Mrs. Garvin was of the Pentecostal faith.
She was preceded in death by a brother, Tom Aldrich.
Surviving Mrs. Garvin are two daughters, Priscilla Irwin and her husband Jim of Abbeville, Jarrot Alexander and her husband Fred of Clinton, SC., a son, Merrell Garvin and his wife Pia of Harrisburg, VA, four grandchildren, Dayna Reynolds of Greenwood, Brett Peace of Seneca, Stina Garvin of Sweden, Cody Garvin of Atlanta, and five great-grandchildren.
The family will receive friends from 2:00PM to 3:00PM Wednesday, August 23, 2006 at Harris Funeral Home. Graveside services will be 3:30PM in Long Cane Cemetery with the Rev. Tim Ellenberg officiating.
Online condolences may be sent to the Garvin family by visiting www.harrisfuneral.com
HARRIS FUNERAL HOME, of Abbeville is assisting the Garvin family.
PAID OBITUARY

James Higginbotham

KENNESAW, Ga. — James Daniel “Jim” Higginbotham, 76, of 4150 George Busbee Parkway, died Saturday, Aug. 19, 2006, at North Fulton Hospital in Roswell.
Born in Anderson County, S.C., he was a son of the late Alvin C. and Fannie Crocker Higginbotham. He was a graduate of Greenwood High School, Lander College, Greenwood, S.C., and John Marshall Law School, Atlanta. A Navy veteran, he formerly owned and operated B & H Interiors and EEE Interiors in Woodstock. He was a member of VFW and American Legion and was of the Presbyterian faith.
Survivors include three sons, James Tamarack, of Savannah, Dr. Bruce W. Higginbotham, of Seattle, and Gary A. Higginbotham, of Alpharetta; two sisters, Bernice H. Wes,t of Greenwood ,and Beatrice H. Entrekin, of Easley; 15 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren.
Services are 2 p.m. Thursday at Blyth Funeral Home, Greenwood, conducted by the Rev. Furman Entrekin. Burial is in Kennesaw Memorial Park, Marietta, Ga.
Visitation is 1-2 Thursday at the funeral home.
Memorials may be made to a charity of one’s choice.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.blythfuneralhome.com.

Ellis E. ‘Sam’ Mobley

ABBEVILLE, SC – Ellis E. “Sam” Mobley, 68, of 1652 Rockhill Rd., husband of Ella Powell Mobley, died Tuesday, August 22, 2006 at his residence. Mr. Mobley was born in Lincolnton, GA to the late Luther and Rosella Poss Mobley.
He retired after many years from the Rug Barn in Abbeville. He was an avid fisherman and loved every minute he spent on the river.
He was preceded in death by his sister, Luther Brown.
He is survived by his wife of 37 years of the home, four sons, Jim Mobley of Twin Lakes, Michigan, Walter Fleming of Abbeville, James Fleming of Ware Shoals and William Fleming, of Georgia, three daughters, Kim Root of Lake Wales, FL, Marie Bradford of Abbeville, and Johnnie Hagget of Georgia, a brother, Ronnie Copeland of Simpsonville, eighteen grandchildren, fifteen great-grandchildren, two nephews, and one niece.
Graveside services will be 11:00AM Thursday, August 24, 2006 in Forest Lawn Memory Gardens.
The family is at the home 1652 Rockhill Rd. Abbeville.
Memorial Contributions in memory of Mr. Mobley may be sent to the Hospice Care of South Carolina, 231 Hampton St., Greenwood, SC 29646.
Online condolences may be sent to the Mobley family by visiting www.harrisfuneral.com
HARRIS FUNERAL HOME, of Abbeville is assisting the Mobley family.
PAID OBITUARY

‘Middle of the pack’ Bearcats

Lander’s men’s soccer coach optimistic about upcoming season

August 23, 2006

By JIM JOYCE
Special projects editor

Last season, the Lander University men’s soccer team was picked fourth in the Peach Belt Conference poll. The Bearcats finished second.
Once again, for the 2006 season, the Bearcats have been given the nod for fourth place in the preseason coaches poll.
And, as coach Van Taylor puts it, “That’s probably accurate at this point in time in the season, but we feel we can build on that. We’re right in the middle of the pack.”
With seven starters returning from last year’s 11-5-4 team, it stands to reason why Taylor is optimistic about the new year with anticipation of doing better.
“We returned a starting nucleus of players and, with the ones we recruited, we are pleased at this point,” Taylor said.
“In the short time we’ve been together, they have worked hard and are starting to know one another. We are real optimistic about how the new players will join with the returning players. It’s a good group of kids coming off a good year.”
The one major concern with contact sports is that of staying healthy.
“We have to stay healthy,” Taylor said. “We’ve got a lot of depth and that’s something we haven’t had in years past.
“One area of concern is that of goalkeeper. We have a first-year player backing up our experienced goalkeeper, but if we get injuries it can be a problem. We had a strong group back, but we need to stay healthy.”Among the returning players is sophomore midfielder Tyler Davis, of Greenwood, who played a big role in the success of 2005.
“Tyler is a very good player,” Taylor said. “We recruited him from Greenwood High School with the intention of him coming and playing immediately. He proved that last year.
“He was a first-team player and we expect him to stay there this year. He’s a very versatile player, plays defense, is very good on the ball, and has a high work rate.”
Other returners are senior midfielder Zach Ducey, of Evans, Ga., senior midfielder Colin Kent, of Norwich, England, junior midfielder Drew Courtney, of Lookout Mountain, Ga., junior midfielder Antti Suoniemi, of Tampere, Finland, junior midfielder Martyn Bell, of Cleveland, England, and junior goalkeeper Garrett Daum, of Bartonville, Texas.
“Each week, we hope to get better and playing our best soccer at the end of the year when it counts for the tournament,” Taylor said. “We need to have leadership from our captains and internally from the rest of the players. I feel good about this year.”Bell and Kent are the co-captains.
There is one thing for certain as Saturday’s opener with St. Andrews at Mt. Olive approaches.
“It was the first year we got beat in the first round of conference tournament,” Taylor said. “We had not been in that position before.
“Then, a week later the bids came out, and as it turned out, it was a blessing in disguise for us.
Getting beat the first round actually gave us new life in the (regional) tournament. It was an unlikely series of events that got us there, and we were able to take advantage of it. We got to the southeast regional and won it.”However, Taylor realizes this year is another year, and there is much work to be done.
“It (Peach Belt Conference) is a strong conference, one of the strongest in the country in Division II,” Taylor said. “On any given night anybody can beat anybody. There are no easy games.”

Internet ‘stings’ make difference where needed

August 23, 2006

Hardly a day goes by when Attorney General Henry McMaster’s office doesn’t report that another person has been arrested somewhere in South Carolina in an Internet predator sting.
In plain English, that means that an undercover law enforcement agent has netted yet another person for criminal solicitation of a minor on the Internet.
This kind of news is always welcome, no matter how often or how many times it is reported. Thanks to the Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force there has been and continues to be progress made in ridding the Palmetto State of child predators who take advantage of innocent children.
That’s the good news, of course. Parents be aware. The bad news, it seems, is that the number of sexual perverts preying on children is increasing.

THAT DESPICABLE OFFENSE has always been around, to be sure. However, the Internet and the spread of computer technology to more people have provided a new and fertile ground for increasing the opportunities for predators to solicit innocent, unsuspecting children.
The ICAC Task Force is proving to be an effective tool in helping to police this growing menace to children all over South Carolina.
McMaster emphasizes, always, that those arrested are innocent until they are proven guilty in a court of law. That, of course, is how it should be ..... and must be. That, naturally, protects the innocent.
In the final analysis, though, the Task Force is obviously making a difference. That, too, is how it should be ..... and must be.