Mother in social media video arrested for cruelty to children A2 TECHNOLOGY Move over, vacuumbots Robotic lawnmowers are SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 A4 THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2019 75 CENTS coming to the U.S. in 2020 School board takes no action Meeting on personnel matter ends after an executive Trustees will ‘take step backwards’ session; Hamm remains in interim superintendent role BY BRUCE MILLS The notion that Interim from vote to reopen Mayewood [email protected] Superintendent Debbie Hamm intends to resign BY BRUCE MILLS That vote — which was 6-2 with one There was no action taken by the has been circulating [email protected] abstention — came directly after a Sumter School District Board of among credible sources of motion from new Area 2 trustee Trustees during a special called meet- The Sumter Item and on After the legality of a recent vote to Sherril Ray to rescind the school’s ing Wednesday afternoon on an undis- social media since Tues- reopen a school was raised, Sumter closure and operate the East Brew- HAMM closed personnel matter and to receive day. School District’s Board of Trustees ington Road campus as a middle legal advice. After the meeting, will readdress the matter at an up- school starting next year in August. On Tuesday, the district’s board board Chairman the Rev. Ralph Canty coming meeting, according to the But the motion was neither listed on called for the meeting to have a discus- confirmed that Hamm is still in her board’s leader. the meeting agenda nor amended and sion in executive session behind closed position and that there is no an- Board Chairman the Rev. Ralph added to the agenda before the vote. doors, according to the agenda. nouncement to be made at this time. Canty spoke Wednesday about Mon- On Tuesday, after reviewing agenda After an hour-long executive ses- “As of right now, Debbie Hamm is day’s questionable board vote to re- items from the meeting, Jay Bender, sion, the trustees returned to open ses- still the superintendent,” Canty said. verse a decision it made less than a legal counsel for the South Carolina sion just after 5 p.m. but took no ac- year ago to close Mayewood Middle tion. SEE TRUSTEES, PAGE A5 School. SEE VOTE, PAGE A5 Aircraft metals tech airmen help ensure mission success Shaw squadron produces tools for specialized jobs, repairs jets BY SENIOR AIRMAN ASHLEY MALDONADO 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Sparks fly as a 20th Equip- ment Maintenance Squadron aircraft metals technology air- man welds a metal rod that will be used to create a tool- box. Not only do these airmen work on aircraft parts, but they also support the 20th Civil Engineer Squadron and the 20th EMS aerospace ground equipment flight by making special tools and other pieces of equipment. “We are able to repair jets and do jobs in a quick and timely manner without leav- ing the facility, otherwise we would have to get specialty crews out here to do it,” said Airman 1st Class Joshua Burnis, 20th EMS aircraft metals technology journey- man. “With the tools that we make, we are able to perform checks to see if a part needs U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO BY SENIOR AIRMAN ASHLEY MALDONADO additional work or if it’s good U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Peter Lockett, 20th Equipment Maintenance Squadron aircraft metals technology journeyman, welds a metal to go. We’re able to blend out rod for a project at Shaw Air Force Base on Monday. Metals technology airmen save the maintenance units on base millions of dollars through- out the year by supporting approximately $3.4 billion in aircraft parts and about $34 million in aerospace ground equipment. SEE TECH, PAGE A5 S.C. prison officials want 2 more plead guilty in more than $50M boost BY CHRISTINA L. MYERS aries,” said Osmer, who spoke The Associated Press to lawmakers on behalf of autism project fraud Corrections Director Bryan COLUMBIA — South Caro- Stirling. “We still have a lot of lina prison officials asked work to do to increase sala- BY ADRIENNE SARVIS in relation to Medicaid benefits between state lawmakers Wednesday ries.” [email protected] January 2009 and June 2016. for more than $50 million to Osmer said the agency has The penalty for the offense is a $1,000 fine increase security, pay officers faced challenges hiring and An embezzlement case related to Sumter- and imprisonment for up to one year with more and help improve health keeping qualified health pro- based Early Autism Project Inc. over-billing one year of supervised release plus a spe- care for inmates. fessionals in the corrections insurance companies continues as two for- cial assessment of $25 for each misdemean- Corrections Deputy Direc- system because of low and mer employees pleaded guilty earlier this or charge conviction. tor of Administration Thom non-competitive salaries. month to making false claims for services Any monetary penalties imposed by the Osmer presented the agency’s Funding for adequate staffing that were partly or never rendered. court will have to be paid immediately, ac- priorities to a Senate subcom- and enrichment programs is In plea agreements dated Jan. 11 and Jan. cording to the plea agreement. mittee, saying mental health needed to handle mental 16 for former director of clinical services In exchange for the concessions made and pay raises are at the top health episodes inside the Angela Keith and co-founder Ann Eldridge, through the agreements, Keith and Eldridge of the list. prison system. respectively, the two defendants agreed to waive the right to contest any conviction or “Our No. 1 priority is men- waive indictment and arraignment and tal health and competitive sal- SEE PRISONS, PAGE A5 pleaded guilty to making false statements SEE FRAUD, PAGE A5 VISIT US ONLINE AT DEATHS, B3 WEATHER, A8 INSIDE Leigh-Anne Mary Graham Willie Morant Jr. STAYING CHILLY 2 SECTIONS, 14 PAGES the .com VOL. 124, NO. 74 Waddell Donna Rae McCormick Mostly sunny and chilly; Julia Benbow Wells Phyllis Evans Garrick clear and cold tonight Classifieds B6 Sports B1 Grace Letha Gipe Elson Alfreda Barrows Comics B4 Television B5 Margaret Lilly Kendall G. Gamble HIGH 46, LOW 28 Albert Gillard Opinion A7 A2 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2019 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] Mother’s social media video leads to child cruelty charge BY ADRIENNE SARVIS ing to a release from the sher- Numerous concerned indi- [email protected] iff's office. viduals contacted the sheriff's Hardy, of Camden Highway, office about the video and A 33-year-old Dalzell woman reportedly recorded the inci- screenshots of the incident has been charged with cruelty dent herself and posted it to after it was posted to Facebook, to children stemming from an her Facebook page. states the release, and Sumter investigation into a video show- A post from Hardy's Face- County Department of Social ing the woman book page includes an image Services has been notified to pour water on her from the video and text that also conduct a thorough inves- child's head while reads, "Payback for waking me tigation into the incident for the infant slept in up all kinda (sic) times of da the benefit and safety of all her crib. (sic) night." Her social media children in this home. A warrant from profile can no longer be found Sheriff Anthony Dennis said the Sumter Coun- through a search. the charge against Hardy will ty Sheriff’s Office HARDY Screenshots and video of the be prosecuted to the full extent alleges Caitlin incident were shared by other of the law. Alyse Hardy Facebook accounts, including caused “ill treatment, unneces- one that shares information SCREENSHOTS TAKEN sary pain and suffering and/or about alleged child abuse. Caitlin Alyse Hardy posted on deprivation of necessary suste- Hardy is charged with cruel- Facebook that pouring water on nance” to her 9-month-old ty to children and was booked her daughter’s face was “pay- daughter on Jan. 26 when she at the Sumter-Lee Regional De- back.” A saved image from the poured a bottle of water on the tention Center. She was re- original picture posted by Hardy child's face while she was sleep- leased after posting a $1,500 shows her allegedly pouring ing. The child woke up cough- personal recognizance bond water on her 9-month-old ing after water was poured on Wednesday after a warrant was daughter’s face while she slept. her face a second time, accord- issued on Tuesday. 5 teenagers arrested for vehicle break-ins by Sumter police with unlawful carrying of a pistol and Residents urged to ‘Lock it before you leave it’ Owens with possession of crack co- caine. BY ADRIENNE SARVIS Sumter Police Department. All were booked at Sumter-Lee Re- [email protected] The arrests were made that night gional Detention Center where bond after residents noticed and reported was denied for Clarkson, Owens and Unlocked vehicles at three apart- suspicious activity to police, she said. Shannon. CLARKSON COMMANDER OWENS ment complexes in the city of Sumter Officers arrested Tijah Clarkson, 19, Commander and Washington have were the target of recent break-ins that of Love Street; William Commander, been released on surety bonds with strange ve- resulted in five arrests earlier this 17, of Ben Street; Ciontae Owens, 18, of electronic monitoring. hicles, per- week, according to city authorities. Curtiswood Drive; Damien Shannon, Sumter Police Department continues sons or ac- Police said the five men entered mul- 18, of Enter Street; and Trequel Wash- to urge residents to remove their per- tivity in tiple vehicles Monday night at Willow ington, 17, of East Charlotte Avenue.