IN SPORTS: Lee Central High opens 2A state football playoffs against Keenan B1 NATIONAL NEWS Cargo container homes becoming more popular A5 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2017 | Serving South Carolina since October 15, 1894 75 cents Decoy business takes flight The Waterfowl Co. also produces custom duck calls BY JIM HILLEY happy with the duck decoys he could duck by hand,” he said. “I was just [email protected] buy, so he decided to produce his own. doing it for me.” Bryan said when he was young, he Newman, a business partner with Growing up in Sumter, it is hard to hunted using decoys from the “world-fa- Bryan, urged him to turn it into a busi- avoid developing a passion for the out- mous” Herter’s catalog, which offered ness, and the two created The Waterfowl doors. just about anything outdoor-sports relat- Co. in December 2016. Trey Bryan and Darrell Newman, own- ed by mail order until it went bankrupt Since then, the business has taken off, ers of The Waterfowl Co., were both born in the 1970s. Bryan said. and raised in Sumter and became avid Herter’s decoys were solid and would “Everything started to grow and ex- fishermen and duck hunters early on. last a lifetime, Bryan said. pand,” Newman added. Bryan said he first applied his artistic Wanting to hunt with his own Herter- To keep up with demand, Bryan said talent to outdoor sports when he began like decoys, he began ordering solid-foam he was up until 4 a.m. Monday painting JIM HILLEY / THE SUMTER ITEM to create balsa-wood crank bait, which he decoy blanks from a company in Ohio decoys. Darrell Newman uses a lathe to sold at a few bait shops. and took it from there. fashion a piece of wood into a More recently, he said he was not “In the beginning, I painted every SEE DECOYS, PAGE A6 duck call. Sumter’s superheroes Pilot flies treat goblins, ghouls and even Buzz Lightyear in plane assigned to father BY AIRMAN 1ST CLASS DESTINEE SWEENEY 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs SHAW AIR FORCE BASE — On a windy desert flightline, history nearly repeats itself, and the son of an F-16 pilot re- ceives a glimpse of his father’s past life. While on temporary duty to support a weapons instructor Law enforcement and other first course, the stars aligned for responders in Sumter hosted a 1st Lt. Brian Davis, 55th Fight- Halloween trunk-or-treat event er Squadron F-16CM Fighting at Sumter Law Enforcement Falcon pilot, to receive a once- Center, 107 E. Hampton Ave., in-a-lifetime opportunity. on Tuesday. The free event was “Sgt. Henderson was out open to the public and provided there helping to catch the jets a safer alternative to door-to- as they were coming back,” door trick-or-treating. said Davis, referring to a prior TDY. “He was grabbing some PHOTOS BY JESSICA STEPHENS / THE SUMTER ITEM of my luggage out of the travel pod, and while we were wait- ing for my flight lead he start- ed talking about his experienc- es while in the Air Force.” Senior Master Sgt. Daniel Henderson, 20th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 55th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, “Shooters” assistant superin- tendent, told Davis that he had been stationed at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, when it was an F-16 base. The two realized during the conversa- tion that Henderson and Da- vis’s father had been assigned to the 522nd Fighter Squadron, the “Fireballs.” Not only had they been in the same squadron, Hender- son had been Davis’s father’s dedicated crew chief about 2003. Henderson said he “felt old,” working with Davis, part of the newest generation of air- men. “I always thought my dad’s job was just the coolest thing in the world,” Davis said. “That’s obviously why I want- ed to become a pilot as well. I The Sumter Item names executive editor was fortunate enough to be able to fly the same kind of FROM STAFF REPORTS lier this year for work in room,” Johnson said. “She’ll bring an aircraft as he did.” 2016, and she was twice in- energy and professionalism to this posi- Davis, who is a fourth-gener- The Sumter Item has named Kayla dividually awarded for tion and help us lead our industry for- ation fighter pilot, grew up Robins as new executive editor, Pub- Best Non-Deadline Report- ward from Sumter. We’re lucky to have around F-16 fighter squadrons. lisher Vince Johnson announced this ing, most recently for a se- her on our staff and in our community.” Although his father, retired week. ries titled “Heroin’s Hold: Robins received her Bachelor of Sci- Col. Ricky Davis, never pres- Robins, former editor at the Forsyth A Look Inside Addiction.” ence in Journalism from the University sured him to join the service, County News in Cumming, Georgia, led ROBINS “Kayla is one of the pre- of Florida. Her newsroom experience he eventually joined ROTC in the north-Atlanta newsroom to a Geor- mier journalists in the Southeast and gia-best 17 Associated Press awards ear- will be a natural leader for our news- SEE EDITOR, PAGE A6 SEE PILOT, PAGE A6 VISIT US ONLINE AT DEATHS, B3 WEATHER, A8 INSIDE Charles F. Boyd James J. Ridings 2 SECTIONS, 14 PAGES the .com Eddie Scarborough Florine H. White A LITTLE WARMER VOL. 123, NO. 14 Partly sunny and pleasant; Rodger E. Bishop Mazell G. Cain Classifieds B6 Opinion A7 Gladys B. Allsbrook Vinia Mae G. Williams a moonlit sky tonight Comics B4 Television B5 George Webb Bobbie Jean Burgess HIGH 79, LOW 54 Mary N. Jackson Betty W. Mathis A2 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2017 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] LOCAL & STATE BRIEFS FBI: Georgia man who threatened FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS Man accused of sending Sen. Scott also made other threats obscene material to minor Austin Alexander Nasworthy, BY JEFFREY COLLINS Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., talks to 19, of Sumter, was arrested on The Associated Press reporters Sept. 13 about his Monday and charged with one plan to meet with President count of disseminating obscene COLUMBIA — A Georgia man who Trump to discuss race at the material to a person under age an FBI agent said threatened to kill Capitol in Washington. Author- 18, according to a news release U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, ities said Jason Kenneth Bell, from S.C. Attorney General Alan then called back and left his name has charged with threatening to Wilson. The felony offense is a long history of threats against other kill Scott, has a history of punishable by up to 10 years’ im- members of Congress, the NAACP threats against other members prisonment. and news organizations. of Congress and news organi- Internet Crimes Against Chil- Jason Kenneth Bell of Cochran, zations. dren Task Force investigators Georgia, called Scott’s office on Oct. with the Lexington County Sher- 23, saying “I am going to kill that m--- iff’s Office made the arrest. Ac- f---” because Bell said the black sena- THE ASSOCIATED PRESS cording to investigators, Nas- tor blamed white people and neo-Nazi worthy sent a nude image to a groups for problems in America, FBI minor victim. agent Amanda Risner said in a sworn row for killing nine black church with his mother in August, where The case will be prosecuted by statement. members in a racially charged attack they found him sitting on his porch, the Attorney General’s Office. The worker in Scott’s office who an- in Charleston in 2015. yelling into his phone. The FBI said Wilson stressed all defendants swered the phone tried to get informa- Before the Scott threats, Capitol Po- Bell also has threatened to kill him- are presumed innocent unless tion from Bell, but he ended the call. lice in Washington called Bell, who self in calls to Congress but won’t be- they are proven guilty in a court He then called back 15 minutes from told them he was “not violent and was cause of his mother. of law. the same number and gave his name. only trying to have a conversation,” Bell also has threatened TV sta- Since then, Bell has left nearly a Risner wrote. tions, and court records in DeKalb Halloween night runs dozen more threatening voice messag- Bell, whom jail records list as white, County, Georgia, indicate he still faces smoothly in city, county es, Risner said. said he was trying to get lawmakers to a state charge of making terroristic Bell, 40, was arrested last week and understand the “untruths of black vic- threats. Risner said Bell made threat- Public information officers charged with interstate transmission timization.” He said he had been mak- ening phone calls to CNN in March, from Sumter Police Depart- of threat to injure. Risner said he has ing calls for six years and would contin- although those threats weren’t de- ment and Sumter County Sher- a history of threatening calls to mem- ue until he was understood, Risner said. tailed, and the FBI didn’t say which iff’s Office said Halloween bers of Congress, often praising Police in Washington sent local dep- member of Congress Bell had threat- night went smoothly with fami- Dylann Roof, the white man on death uties to the home that Bell shares ened before. lies trick-or-treating in neigh- borhoods and visiting trunk-or- treat events hosted by local or- ganizations.