2 more arrested in party raid case

Man, teen charged with providing beer for students

August 30, 2006

By BOBBY HARRELL
Index-Journal staff writer

A Greenwood man and a teenager were arrested Tuesday on charges of supplying beer for a weekend party whose guests were all under the legal drinking age.
Jason Gorman, 30, 111 Crescent Road, and Zebadiah Gantt, 17, of 107 Gantt Road, were charged with transfer of alcohol to underage persons, said Chief Deputy Mike Frederick of the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office.
Gorman and Gantt were charged in connection with a party for high school-aged teens early Saturday morning.
Their arrests brings the total number to 21 linked to the party.
A magistrate released the men on $500 personal recognizance bonds.
Sheriff Dan Wideman said the investigation into the party is nearly complete after the arrests.
The sheriff’s office raided a party Saturday on Deer Creek Road and arrested 13 adults and six juveniles.
School resource officers who learned of the party late Friday had contacted the sheriff’s office because they had also heard the party would include alcohol and parental support.
Most of the students were released from jail over the weekend.
The students apprehended ranged in age from 14 to 19. Most faced a charge of alcohol possession, but one was charged with marijuana possession. Officers said they also found baggies containing cocaine residue, drug paraphernalia and marijuana strewn in a field where the party was taking place.
They also found two kegs of beer, and liquor and beer containers, which they destroyed.
The mother of one of the students was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor for allowing the party to take place on her property.
The sheriff’s office had been hearing Gorman’s name tied to the case since the party, Frederick said.
Officers searched every store in town that sells beer kegs before finding evidence of the sale to Gorman at Wal-Mart.
Wal-Mart cameras had captured Gorman and Gantt leaving Wal-Mart Wednesday with the kegs, Frederick said.
They also reportedly brought the kegs to Thompson’s house for the party.
The sheriff’s office also found documents pointing to Gorman buying the kegs.
Bailey Thompson, 17, who was also arrested at the party, gave Gorman the money for the kegs, the sheriff’s office reported. His mother, Denise Thompson, owns the property where the party was taking place.
Frederick said Gorman and Gantt know each other because their families are friends.
Wideman said he spoke with Superintendent Darrell Johnson of Greenwood School District 50 about the incident.
The district and the sheriff’s office are going to work together to bring programs about alcohol abuse and teen safety to parents and teachers, Wideman said.

Abbeville will keep Bixby trial

Decision is made after judge tours courthouses

August 30, 2006

By MEGAN VARNER
Index-Journal senior staff writer

ABBEVILLE — The presiding judge in the double murder case against Steven Bixby ruled this week that the man’s trial will not be moved from Abbeville.
Tenth Circuit Judge Alexander Macaulay told legal teams on Monday that the trial would remain at the Abbeville County courthouse, Eighth Circuit Solicitor Jerry Peace said.
The ruling came one week after Bixby’s defense team requested a reconsideration of location because of security concerns.
Bixby is charged with murder in the December 2003 shooting 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 for their client because of the case’s impact on the Abbeville community, and Circuit Judge Marc Westbrook requested that a security plan be developed and reviewed before he made his decision on where to have the trial.
Westbrook was killed in a traffic wreck in September before making a decision, but Macaulay, who took over the case following Westbrook’s death, 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 because of lingering security concerns and the defense’s latest request, Macaulay, along with trial attorneys and law enforcement officials, toured the courthouses in Abbeville and Greenwood counties last week before making his decision on the trial’s location.
Peace said he was “satisfied” with the decision.
“I am satisfied with anywhere,” Peace said. “Abbeville is where the family really wanted to have the trial, and the Abbeville citizens want to have it there, so it is fine with me.”
Though some concerns about security were raised by the defense team, Peace said he thought the Abbeville location would be as safe as possible.
“SLED (the State Law Enforcement Division) has developed a good plan, and they’ve done an excellent job in securing that facility,” Peace said.
Steven Bixby’s trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 2, and the state is seeking the death penalty against the man. Steven Bixby and father Arthur are charged with two counts of murder in connection with the Dec. 3, 2003 shootings, which happened after Wilson and Ouzts went to the Bixby home to settle a road widening dispute. Authorities said Ouzts went to the home after Wilson stopped responding to dispatchers. Ouzts was gunned down before reaching the door, and it is thought that Wilson was killed when he arrived or shortly thereafter.
Following the shootings, a 13-hour standoff with law enforcement officers ensued at the home, which included what has been described by the State Law Enforcement Division chief as one the fiercest law enforcement gun battles in state history.
Rita Bixby was arrested at a nearby apartment complex on the day of the standoff. The state had originally intended to seek the death penalty against Steven and Rita Bixby, but at a hearing last week, Rita Bixby’s attorneys successfully motioned that the death penalty notice against their client be dismissed. Peace said he would be in contact with the state attorney general’s office to make a decision on an appeal of the dismissal.
No trial dates have been set for Rita or Arthur Bixby.

Husband-wife team hopes to get
Erskine’s runners up to speed

August 30, 2006

By JIM JOYCE
Special projects editor

DUE WEST — The two cross country teams at Erskine College have new coaches this season, and both are avid runners — meaning they will expect high goals from the collegiate runners.
Men’s coach Mark Peeler said he runs 25-30 miles a week and women’s coach Maggie Peeler (Mark’s wife) said she has been an avid runner since age 13 and remains a big fan of the sport.
Maggie, who ran four years in high school, has never coached the sport, but Mark coached three years on the high school level in Kentucky.
Cross country makes the husband-wife team a multiple sport leader at Erskine. Maggie also coaches women’s basketball, while Mark coaches men’s basketball and serves as athletic director.
However, both say they are excited about the new challenge that starts with Saturday’s Lander Invitational at the Connie Maxwell Children’s Home in Greenwood.
“We have some dedicated guys who love to run and want to be good at it,” Mark said of the Flying Fleet. “Our focus is the CVAC (Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference) championships on Oct. 21.
“Everything up to that point is training for that one meet. We’re starting late, but the guys have been running all summer. We don’t want to run well early, we want to get in shape and peak on Oct. 21.”
On the Lady Fleet’s side, Maggie said she has been trying to catch up on the practice regiment for college cross country and, hopefully, will be knowledgeable enough on that when everything officially gets under way.
“My expectations are that the girls have been preparing this summer for this season,” she said. “I’m sure they have not worked as hard as they will work in practice (together) and with a coach, but hopefully, they will not be at too much of a disadvantage since I assume other schools have just begun their seasons as well.”
Maggie said she doesn’t have too many expectations as far as conference finishing, but she does put strong emphasis on the task of working hard and getting better.
“I want them to be competitive and embrace a winning attitude,” she said. “They need to realize that cross country is a sport, one that I want to improve here at Erskine. It’s not a pastime. I think that might have been the mentality of the team in the last couple of years, and once we establish that, we can move on to conference championship goals.”
For the Flying Fleet, Mark said he fully expected the men to be at the bottom of the preseason poll, but he thinks this year’s unit will be in the upper half of the conference.
“My expectation is that we will end up in the top four at the CVAC championships,” he said. “I don’t think that is unrealistic. We have two excellent seniors in John Sell and Hunter Gaffney, and we have two good freshmen in Joe Sell (brother to John) and Adam Groublewski. We just need Brad Shillinglaw, Chance Ellison and Takaaki Shioya to have good years for us to compete at the top level in the conference. It is more than probably, it is expected.”

Opinion

Good role model can help keep kids out of trouble

August 30, 2006

Follow the leader is a game almost every child in South Carolina plays at some time stage of life. It can be more than a game, though, and the rewards can be sweet.
Just look to what a group of 55 school children in Greenville did the other day. They entered a program sponsored by the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Each signed a “pledge of conduct” that encourages them to stay out of trouble and help others do the same.
The goal of the program is something that should get the attention of every parent in South Carolina. In fact, it should attract the interest of all people in the state, whether they are parents or not. That goal is to increase graduation rates while reducing in-school and out-of-school suspensions and expulsions, said NAACP President Paul Guy said.

THE PROGRAM APPLIES TO middle and high school students and seeks to reduce involvement in “gangsterism.” It calls on students to “change attitudes, follow rules and associate with people who create rather than destroy.”
One parent said she thinks “it will have a positive impact on the community.”
In an era when gang activity appears to be influencing many youngsters in communities all over South Carolina, including the Greenwood area, it’s encouraging to see kids sign such pledges. It’s also encouraging to see the NAACP address some of the problems kids face. It helps kids bridge differences while they are under peer pressure to engage in practices that can and too often do get them into trouble not only with their schools, but with the law.

THE CONSEQUENCES ARE obvious and can lead to futures that impact their lives in various ways, none of them positive.
This program could and should serve as a role model for other organizations and kids. Civic and church groups can be serious and effective catalysts in helping students in their communities. Imagine what they might accomplish.
Oh, yes. The NAACP program is, obviously, aimed at black students. In many communities, though, there are white students who need encouragement and help in reaching for the same goals the NAACP program emphasizes.
Imagine something else. Imagine what good might be accomplished if the NAACP, white civic organizations and all churches got together to work together on problems facing our youth.

Obituaries

Henry Griffin

Henry Griffin, 65, of 103-A McKellar Court, died Sunday, Aug. 27, 2006.
Services will be announced by Percival-Tompkins Funeral Home.

Nina Harrison

Nina Manley Harrison, 93, widow of John Dee Harrison, died Monday, Aug. 28, 2006 at Briarwood Nursing Home, Simpsonville.
Born in Ware Shoals, she was a daughter of the late Zeff and Regina Stewart Manley. She retired from J.P. Stevens and was a member of Temple Baptist Church, Ninety Six.
Survivors include a daughter, Karen Adams of Simpsonville; two sons, James R. Harrison of Easley and John Michael Harrison of Charlotte, N.C.; seven grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; a great-great-grandchild.
Graveside services are 2:30 p.m. Friday at Greenwood Memorial Gardens, officiated by the Rev. Buddy Wiles.
Visitation is 6:30-8:30 Thursday at the home of a son, Jim Harrison, 1311 Saluda Dam Road, Easley, and 1-2 p.m. Friday at Harley Funeral Home, Greenwood.
Memorials may be made to Alzheimer’s Association, Upstate S.C. Chapter, 521 N. McDuffie St., Anderson, SC 29621.
Harley Funeral Home & Crematory is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.harleyfuneralhome.com.

Florence Latham

GREENWOOD — Florence Manley Latham, 81, of 116 Allison Drive, widow of Herbert D. Latham, died Tuesday, August 29, 2006 at NHC Health Care of Greenwood.
Born in Greenwood County, she was a daughter of the late James F. and Ellie Mae Hitt Manley. She retired from the Veterans Administration as a dental assistant and was a member of the Georgia Dental Assistants Association and the Augusta Dental Assistants Society. She was a charter member of the Pilot Club, a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, a former member of First Baptist Church of North Augusta and a member of Laurel Baptist Church, Greenwood.
Surviving is her brother-in-law and his wife, Jack and Brenda Latham of Greenwood; nieces, Michelle Wells of Carey, NC and Martha Manley of Columbia; a nephew, Johnny Manley of Greer; a special friend, Teresa Burch and her children, Mat and Natalie of Maryland.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Harley Funeral Home Chapel with burial in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Thursday from 10 to 11 a.m.
The family is at the home of Jack and Brenda Latham, 116 Allison Drive, Greenwood.
Memorials may be made to Connie Maxwell Children’s Home, PO Box 1178, Green-wood, SC 29648.
Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.harleyfuneralhome.com
PAID OBITUARY

Jamie Malone

DUE WEST — James Wade “Jamie” Malone, 43, of 147 Depot St., husband of Marie Allison Malone, died Sunday, Aug. 27, 2006.
Born in Nashville, Tenn., he was a son of John L. Malone Jr. and Jackie Hadwin Malone. He worked for Stegalls Transmission Service as a mechanic and was a member of Greer Memorial Baptist Church.
Survivors include his wife of the home; both parents of Easley; a stepson, Logan Humphrey, of Honea Path; a stepdaughter, Jessica Humphrey Andrews, of Abbeville; a brother, John L. Malone III, of Columbia; a sister, Jenise Scott, of Goose Creek; a grandchild.
Services are 2 p.m. Thursday at Pruitt Funeral Home, conducted by the Rev. Homer Gilmer. Burial is in Eastview Cemetery.
Visitation is 6-8 tonight at the funeral home.
Pruitt Funeral Home, Honea Path, is in charge.

Stephen Morrow

GREENWOOD — Stephen Brett Morrow, 53, resident of 634 Cobb Road, Lot 19, husband of Sherry Carter Morrow, died August 28, 2006 at his residence.
Born February 18, 1953 in Union, he was a son of the late Lonnie and Evelyn Shetley Morrow. Mr. Morrow was a US Navy veteran and was employed as a CNC operator with Kelley & Strahl Co. He was of the Baptist faith.
Surviving in addition to his wife of Greenwood are two sons, Andrew Brett and wife, Laurie Miller Morrow of Charleston and Dustin Morrow of Greenwood; one sister, Mrs. Joe T. (Phyllis) Haney of Union; two nephews, John L. Kingsmore and Victor M. Kingsmore; and a niece Leigh Kingsmore Treadway, all of Union.
A memorial service will be conducted at 7:00 p.m. Thursday at Rice Memorial Baptist Church with Rev. Jimmy Tucker officiating.
The family is at the home of his wife, 419 Morgan Ave. and will receive friends at the church from 6 to 7 Thursday evening immediately prior to the memorial service.
To make online condolences or for more information please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Service is assisting the Morrow family.
PAID OBITUARY

David Whitten

ANDERSON — David Edward Whitten, 61, husband of Varnell Lollis Whitten of 1116 Green Willow Trail died Monday, August 28, 2006. He was born in Belton, a son of Martha Herndon Whitten of Belton and the late Thomas Edward Whitten, Jr. He was retired from Springs Industries and a member of Cross Hill Church of God, Belton, SC.
Surviving besides his wife of the home and mother of Belton are: one son, David LaRue Whitten of the home, one brother, Terry B. Whitten, Belton, one sister, Janice Flinkingshelt, Greenville and one grandson, Thomas Babb Whitten, Mauldin.
Funeral services will be conducted Thursday at 3 PM at Cross Hill Church of God, Belton with Rev. John Christmas, Rev. Charles Goss, and Rev. Gene Land officiating.
Burial will follow in Greenville Memorial Gardens.
Active pallbearers will be Earl Weathers, Mark Henderson, Boots Henderson, Gerald “Whimp” Brock, Ronnie Hannah and Harry Lollis.
Honorary escort will be members of Men’s Sunday School Class of Cross Hill Church of God.
The family is at the home and will receive friends Wednesday, 7-9 PM at Parker-White Funeral Home, Ware Shoals, SC.
PAID OBITUARY