Assault suspect pleads guilty

Bond set at $2 million in kidnapping case


July 28, 2007

By MIKE ROSIER
Index-Journal staff writer

As shocking as Thursday’s events were, the suspect in a brutal kidnapping and sexual assault of a Troy woman had another surprise in store Friday.
During a bond hearing before summary court Judge Leisa Hotchkiss, suspect Ernest James Lawton, 40, told her she didn’t need to inform him of all the charges against him — first-degree criminal sexual conduct, first-degree burglary, kidnapping, armed robbery, carjacking, and weapons possession during the commission of a violent crime.
Hotchkiss asked Lawton, “Are you pleading guilty or not guilty?”
Without hesitation, his answer was “Guilty.”
Lawton also told Hotchkiss he needed a public defender.
The judge informed Lawton he had a right to a preliminary hearing, during which the evidence associated with the charges would be brought to bear.
Lawton waived his right to the hearing, saying, “I don’t want it.”
Hotchkiss asked Lawton several questions.
Was he employed?
Did he have any income?
Did he have any dependents?
The answers revealed a man with little need for freedom.
He had no job.
He had no income — or only what family members gave him.
He had no dependents.
All he had were hospital bills.
Hotchkiss denied bond on the burglary charge — an offense punishable with life imprisonment — and set a bond of $2 million for the other charges. In order to leave jail, Lawton would have to supply $200,000 to a willing bail bondsman or place down a total of $2 million. Then, he would have to go before a circuit judge for bond on the burglary charge.
The guilty plea did not surprise officers close to the case.
“He confessed and told us repeatedly that he wants to go back to prison,” Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Mike Frederick said Friday. “He didn’t want to get caught, but he doesn’t feel that he can function in normal society, and I couldn’t agree with him more.”
Lawton will have every opportunity to change his guilty plea to that of not guilty as the court phase of the case plays out over the coming weeks.
Court dates have been set for Oct. 5 and Dec. 7.
The GCSO also executed an additional search warrant on the property off Daniel Road in Hodges, where the victim was found inside her white Ford minivan bound securely by duct tape and gagged.
“We’re not sure what his intentions at that time were,” said GCSO Maj. John Murray of the moments after Lawton arrived on Daniel Road with the victim. “Evidently he didn’t want her going anywhere because he had her taped pretty good.
The victim helped officers find her by blowing the van’s horn.
In Friday’s search, the GCSO wanted to make sure all bases were covered.
“You don’t want to miss a detail or key piece of evidence,” Frederick said.
Lawton’s stepfather, John Dorsey Wyatt, 62, was bonded and released Friday after being arrested Thursday afternoon for disturbing the peace. Wyatt, who arrived on the scene at his Daniel Road property while officers were searching for the victim and Lawton, ordered law enforcement officers off his property and was a general impediment to the investigation, authorities said.
Additional information concerning the early moments of the abduction was released Friday, with arrest warrant affidavits stating Lawton gained access to the victim’s home by claiming he needed a drink of water and a ride to his home. The victim — who said she recognized the suspect as a man her husband had counseled — agreed to do so.
When the victim returned from the bedroom, the suspect produced a knife, saying, “If you do what I tell you, you won’t get hurt.” The suspect used duct tape to subdue the victim before forcing intercourse.
According to a sheriff’s office incident report, the victim’s husband told officers the suspect and a relative had dinner with him and his wife last week. He also said he had no knowledge of the suspect having been released from prison. The suspect stopped by the home for counseling early Thursday, when the victim’s husband stated he prayed with Lawton.
Responding officers found a pair of women’s panties lying on the floor on the right side of the bed, along with several pieces of duct tape nearby.
Following a whirlwind 24-hour period — and near constant emergencies over the last seven to 10 days — Frederick said he and other GCSO investigators are hoping for several days of relative peace.
“The investigators can get strung out when things like this happen, because they can’t quit when all this comes down,” Frederick said. “We had guys passing out and catching an hour of sleep at their desks. When we walked out after the bond hearing, where we normally would have been happy and jumping up and down, we just wanted to go home.
“Two or three days of quiet would be nice. When something like this breaks, the investigators work and don’t get a lot of breaks. We’re just waiting on the trial now.”

 

Dream sets sail

Floating classroom to launch this fall


July 28, 2007

By ST. CLAIRE DONAGHY
Index-Journal staff writer

Sterling Bryson grew up in a family with a love for boats and water.
When his parents sold their home, lived on a sailboat and traveled the seas, Sterling decided he wanted that life, too.
Only he said he didn’t want to wait until retirement to pursue it.
Now, at 35, Sterling is living his dream.
Sterling is chief mate aboard the Spirit of South Carolina, a tall ship in Charleston modeled after the Frances Elizabeth, a wooden pilot schooner built in Charleston in 1879 that sailed the harbor for 25 years.
Sterling is the son of Becky Reynolds Bryson, of Greenwood, and the late Bruce Bryson. He is a grandson of Annie Reynolds, of Greenwood.
The Spirit of South Carolina, a project of the South Carolina Maritime Heritage Foundation, is an educational ship. It’s been created to provide hands-on learning opportunities for students, to be a classroom on water.
“The commitment from the top of the organization for using the ship as an educational vessel has really impressed me,” Sterling said, citing that as one of the reasons he decided to become involved with the boat.
“When folks see the Spirit of South Carolina under sail, they will know a group of kids is learning about local maritime history, studying watershed management and natural sciences and solving navigational challenges,” Sterling said. “It’s a great educational tool for kids of all ages.”
The ship’s educational programming is scheduled to begin in October, with a six-week pilot program of daysails for fifth- and sixth-graders.
The ship’s carrying capacity is 29 people, including crew and passengers.
Fifth- and sixth-graders and their teachers can take day trips that include lessons fulfilling state curriculum standards. The core curriculum focuses on math, science and history, as those subjects relate to South Carolina and the sea.
High school and college students can take multi-week-long trips, learning science, navigation and leadership skills. There are also programs for at-risk youths.

To inform teachers about the Spirit of South Carolina, professional educators and administrators are encouraged to take advantage of scholarships from the S.C. Maritime Foundation to experience daysails aboard the Spirit and receive professional development credit.
Twenty-one days during June, July and August have been allocated for educator summer daysails. For enrollment forms or information, contact Sarah Piwinski by calling (843) 722-1030 or sending an e-mail to spiwinksi@scmaritime.org.
The Spirit of South Carolina was more than six years in the making.
The project began in 2000 with Charles Sneed, who founded the South Carolina Maritime Foundation with master shipwright Mark Bayne.
“They worked hard to grow awareness of South Carolina’s maritime heritage,” said Meaghan Van Liew, development director for the S.C. Maritime Foundation. “They found original drawings of the (ship) Frances Elizabeth at the Smithsonian and hired the design firm Tricoastal Marine to interpret them.”
From the beginning, Van Liew said using South Carolina resources, as much as possible, was a top priority for the project, including the wood used to construct the ship’s hull.
Other timber, long-leaf yellow pine, was purchased from Georgia, and a wood called Angelique was acquired from Suriname, Van Liew said.
All wire and metal rigging aboard ship came from Charleston Rigging.
The engines were manufactured in the U.S. by Cummins and “marinized” in South Carolina by Cummins Atlantic, Van Liew said.
And the ship’s teak deck was purchased through East Teak Fine Hardwoods Inc, of Donalds.
The Spirit launched in March and took part in a tall-ships festival in Charleston in May.
At the end of the festival, in its maiden voyage, the Spirit of South Carolina led a parade of majestic ships along the waterfront and out into Charleston Harbor.
Sterling’s mother, Becky, was in Charleston for the ship’s launching and its maiden voyage.
“For the parade, there were so many boats in the harbor you could have walked on water,” Becky said. “We were sort of holding our breath as each sail went up on the Spirit. It was exhilarating.”
Having the ship in Charleston Harbor is filling a niche there, Sterling said.
“The harbor has so much to offer,” Sterling said. “It’s very exciting for everyone to see the ship actually built and floating.”
As chief mate, Sterling is the senior deck officer and second in command aboard ship.
He is responsible for the execution of the captain’s general orders concerning operation and maintenance of the vessel.
According to the Spirit’s captain, Tony Arrow, the chief mate “establishes and maintains the routine of the ship.”
Additionally, Arrow said Sterling will assist with classroom instruction of nautical sciences.
Simply put, Sterling said his job is to “make sure everything the captain wants done gets done.”
Daily activities aboard the Spirit include setting flags, preparing meals, cleaning the ship, preparing for and sailing with students, and standing safety watches.
To make sure everything runs smoothly, a team effort is required from the ship’s crew.
Sterling enjoyed boats growing up in the Miami area and in Pittsburgh.
Sterling’s mother, Becky, said he was about 6 months old the first time he was on a boat. And by the time he was in high school, Sterling was navigating waterways on his own.
While in college, Sterling also spent time with his parents on their sailboat as they traveled the world.
“My husband, Bruce, took early retirement, while Sterling was still in college,” Becky said, “and Sterling’s visits ‘home’ were aboard our sailboat, The Briarpatch.”
Sterling’s sister, Rebecca, who now lives in California, was also on a sailing team while she was a college student.
Knowing he wanted a career with boats and on the water, Sterling pursued a variety of water-related interests.
He taught offshore sailing in Charleston and also worked with the Department of Natural Resources there.
A friend of Sterling’s became an engineer aboard a tall ship and encouraged him to investigate tall ships.
Sterling honed his skills aboard tall ships in the Pacific Northwest, as well as aboard ones off the coast of Los Angeles.
“He began taking jobs on tall ships all around, to get credentials, to hopefully come to Charleston and work aboard The Spirit of South Carolina,” Becky said. “It’s been a dream come true.”
Sterling is a 1994 graduate of the University of California at San Diego. He and his wife, Tiffany, have recently welcomed their first child, Lily, into the family.

 

Post 20 looks to get back on track

Play-in game keeps Greenwood’s postseason hopes alive


July 28, 2007

By MATT ANDERSON
Index-Journal sports writer

In Greenwood Post 20’s first round American Legion baseball playoff series, the team beat Chester in four games despite struggling to make consistent contact at the plate.
That trend continued in its second-round series against Richland. With the level of competition ratcheted up, the poor hitting cost Greenwood, which lost the best-of-five series in four games.
Tonight, Post 20 will look to start rolling offensively, when they begin a play-in scenario for a spot in the American Legion state playoffs. In all likelihood, Greenwood will play Spartanburg at home. If Post 20 wins that game, it will play the loser of tonight’s Lancaster-Gaffney game on Sunday.
But to get that far, the Post 20 bats will have to come alive.
“Major League teams go into slumps,” Greenwood coach Billy Dean Minor said. “We just have to go out there and get back to fundamentals in terms of hitting the ball.”
In the three losses against Richland, Post 20 scored a total of nine runs. As a team, Greenwood hit just .239.
While the hitting numbers were similar in the series against Chester, it was a less-than-stellar performance by the pitching staff that marked the difference between defeating Chester and losing to Richland.
Against Chester, the Post 20 staff posted an ERA of 2.25. In the Richland series, the team ERA ballooned to 6.25.
“Richland was really a good team,” Minor said. “They hit the ball well, but at the same time, we can’t walk and hit people.”
The good news for Greenwood is it will likely have Brandon Miller on the mound tonight. Miller, a lefthanded South Carolina signee, is 5-1 on the season with a team-leading 2.55 ERA, and he has 58 strikeouts in 53 innings. He pitched well in the opener of the Richland series, picking up a no decision in his seven-inning, one-earned-run outing.
Post 20, however, will be without Cruse Tollison. The pitcher/leftfielder injured his knee in the final game of the Chester series, and Minor said he is out for the season.
Despite playing shorthanded against Richland, Minor said he was happy with the team’s effort.
“I think we played hard,” Minor said. “I was proud of how we never really gave up during the whole series.”

 

Obituaries

Ethel Mae Aiken

GREENVILLE — Ethel Mae Aiken, 54, of 207 Averill Street, died on Thursday, July 26, 2007 at St. Francis Hospital.
Born in Abbeville, SC, she was a daughter of the late Clarence Aiken, Sr. and Lillie Mae Anderson Aiken.
Survivors: sisters, JoAnn Harris of Lexington, NC, Tracy Graham of Greer and Mary Aiken of Castleberry, FL.
Funeral service is Monday, 2 p.m. at Mt. Zion AME Church, Hodges, SC, with burial in the church cemetery. Watkins, Garrett & Woods Mortuary.


Eva Blackwell

BLOOMFIELD, Conn. — Funeral services for Mrs. Eva Cunningham Blackwell will be held 1 p.m. today, July 28, 2007 at Mount Moriah Baptist Church, Plum Branch, with the Rev. Melvin Gordon officiating. Interment will be in the church cemetery.
Family and friends will assemble at the residence of John (Jenell) Ryans, 803 Walker Road, Edgefield, at 12:15 p.m.
The remains will lie in state in the church from noon until the hour of service.
G.L. Brightharp & Sons Mortuary, 250 Coral Street, Edgefield, S.C. is in charge.


Anne B. McKellar

Anne Byrd McKellar, 53, of 307 Pullham Road, wife of Donny McKellar, died Friday, July 27, 2007 at Waccamaw Community Hospital, Murrells Inlet.
Services will be announced by Harley Funeral Home and Crematory.


Carol Newton

NINETY SIX — Carol Elaine Tyler Newton, 58, of 120 Sherard Avenue, died Friday, July 27, 2007 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Corning, NY, she was a daughter of Lois Fraser Tyler Haynes and the late Fredrick Tyler. She was a registered nurse for 28 years, having worked at Corning Hospital, Newberry Hospital, Self Regional and Wesley Commons.
Surviving is her mother of Big Flats, NY; a daughter, Mrs. Michael (Carrie) Hurd of Ninety Six; a son, Leon Newton, Jr. of Ninety Six; a brother, Fredrick Tyler of Penfield, NY; and two grandsons.
A private memorial service will be held at a later date.
Harley Funeral Home and Crematory is in charge of arrangements.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.harleyfuneralhome.com.


Ray Rice

BELTON — Mr. Ray Rice, age 80, of 136 Evans Drive, died Thursday, July 26, 2007 at the home. He was born in Anderson County, a son of the late Ernest Lee Rice and Helen Williams Rice. He was of the Baptist faith.
Surviving is one sister, Sarah Corley of the home.
Funeral services will be held Sunday 2 p.m. at The Holloway’s Funeral Home Chapel, Belton S.C. Burial will follow in the Oak Lawn Memorial Garden. The family is at the home. The Holloway’s Funeral Inc., Belton, S.C., is in charge of arrangements.


Frank Sibert

McCORMICK — Frank Sibert, 62, died Thursday, July 26, 2007 at Self Regional Medical Center in Greenwood. The family is at his home, 507 Talbert St.
Services will be announced by Walker Funeral Home.


CORRECTION

For the obituary of Clifford “June” Cunningham in Friday’s paper, a survivor was omitted from the information submitted to The Index-Journal. Also surviving is a brother, Anthony T. Cunningham of Baltimore, Md.

 

Opinion

Politics as usual defines every action of Congress

July 28, 2007

Hypocrisy and shortsightedness. That’s what Democrats and Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee are saying about each other. These partisan clashes came when the committee controlled by Democrats voted to begin criminal contempt proceedings against two White House advisers. The pair refused to comply with subpoenas in Congress’ investigation into the firings last year of nine U. S. attorneys.
The president, invoking executive privilege, had ordered White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten and former White House Counsel Harriet Miers not to comply.
This investigation has been going on for some time ..... as have other investigations of the Bush White House. This one. like others, are so politically motivated they would be laughable were not taxpayer dollars being wasted over things that other administrations have done, Democrats as well as Republicans.

THIS APPEARS TO BE SOMETHING that will continue until the next election. Nobody will win anything because of them. That, too, seems obvious. However, Americans in general will be the ultimate losers as the “emperor-fiddles-while-Rome-burns” exercise in costly nonsense runs its political course.
Consider the weepin’ and wailin’ over fired U. S. attorneys. Replacing some of them is commonplace. In fact, if it didn’t occur it would be a departure from normality.
Letting some U. S. attorneys go is the prerogative of every incoming president. No reason is needed to make changes nor is any explanation necessary if that’s how a president wants to do it. This time, though, the partisan bickering and related politics have been like never before.

THAT OUGHT TO BE CLEAR FROM a statement made by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She called the probe part of a broader effort by House Democrats dealing with “ ... Iraq policy, widespread corruption by contractors such as Halliburton and the failed response to Hurricane Katrina” under a Republican-led Congress.
So there it is. Pelosi and friends have partisan motives. No one should be surprised. Don’t be surprised the next time Republicans are in charge, either. That will happen someday. No party stays in power forever. And, when that time comes, expect Republicans to play the same kind of politics against their Democratic peers. That’s how it works.
No wonder Congress has a lower rating among the people of this country than the White House.