SPORTS Gamecocks rally, push past rival Michigan 26-19 SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 B1 TUESDAY, JANUARY 2, 2018 75 CENTS Forecasts warn of ‘bitterly cold’ nights Those who stay Wind chill values may dip into at Sumter United Ministries shelter are provided a bed single digits at times this week for the night. BY KAYLA ROBINS carrying forward through [email protected] Sunday. ADRIENNE SARVIS / THE SUMTER “It will be bitterly cold ITEM The first week of 2018 is throughout the week. Wind looking to be a freezing one chill values will be 5 to 15 de- with wind chill values in the grees at times, mainly at single digits and a chance of night. Wind chill advisories snow, according to national may be needed,” the agency and Sumter County weather said. reports. Wednesday’s forecast for Homeless find warmth at shelter A hazardous weather out- Sumter showed, as of Monday, look issued for Sumter, Lee, a “slight chance of light BY ADRIENNE SARVIS Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. Orangeburg, Calhoun, Clar- snow.” [email protected] When temperatures reach 32 degrees endon and Bamberg counties Year-start temperatures are Fahrenheit or below, the shelter will close on Jan. 1 by the National 20-30 degrees below average Sumter’s homeless can find a warm place about noon — later than normal — to allow Weather Service warned resi- east of the Rockies and west to stay at Sumter United Ministries’ shelter the temperature to rise. dents of “bitterly cold” tem- of the Appalachians, the agen- at 320 W. Oakland Ave. this week with tem- Regular hours are from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. — peratures Monday night with cy reported. peratures expecting to drop below freezing guests must be checked in by 8 p.m. unless wind chill values between 5 Cold high pressure is settling at night. accompanied by an officer. and 15 degrees at times. According to the National Weather Ser- That outlook seems to be SEE COLD, PAGE A6 vice, temperatures will reach the low 20s on SEE SHELTER, PAGE A6 Trilogy matchup ends in loss for Clemson PHOTOS BY MICAH GREEN / THE SUMTER ITEM Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts (2) evades Clemson defenders K’Von Wallace (12) and J.D. Davis during the first half of the Sugar Bowl on Monday in New Orleans. TIGERS FACE CRIMSON TIDE The Clemson Tigers faced off against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Monday at the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans in a College Football Playoff semifinal game. Alabama beat the defending national champions, earning the second spot in the national championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs, which will be played on Monday in Atlanta. For complete coverage, go to B1. Look in Panorama in Sunday’s edition of The Sumter Item for ABOVE: Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant gets wrapped up by an Alabama de- more scenes from Clemson in fender. New Orleans. LEFT: Clemson safety Van Smith breaks up a pass during the first half of the Allstate Sugar Bowl against Alabama on Monday. VISIT US ONLINE AT DEATHS, B4 WEATHER, A10 INSIDE Milton E. Lyles Catherine B. Gore KEEP AN EXTRA BLANKET 2 SECTIONS, 16 PAGES the .com VOL. 123, NO. 53 Alva M. Adams Louis Davis HANDY TONIGHT Cleveland Chambers Jr. Georgette L. Ives Classifieds B6 Opinion A9 Florence M. Anderson Darlene Lewis Mostly sunny and cold; some Comics A8 Television B5 Mildred H. Johns James Preston Jr. clouds and very cold tonight Violet A. Cowan Brenda L. Brown HIGH 37, LOW 20 Sports B1 A2 | TUESDAY, JANUARY 2, 2018 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] Car crashes into freezing pond Turbeville inmate killed in late Sunday night New Year’s Eve fight, 8 injured Driver hasn’t been located BY KAYLA ROBINS was no threat to the pub- in McCormick and had been at Tur- BY KAYLA ROBINS [email protected] lic. beville since Dec. 28, 2016. [email protected] Another post about 8:45 He had not received any discipli- An inmate was killed and eight oth- p.m. indicated "all staff naries since Dec. 31, 2015, two months The South Carolina Highway ers were injured during a fight in Tur- are safe and accounted after he was given an additional five Patrol is reportedly investigat- beville Correctional Institution on for." years of time to serve for being caught ing a crash that left a vehicle in New Year's Eve, officials said. Capers had been serv- CAPERS with marijuana in McCormick, records a pond and its driver missing Allen Jerome Capers, 32, was con- ing time since 2005 for show. in east Sumter in the first firmed as the man who died during the three armed robbery and He was scheduled to be released in hours of 2018. "inmate-on-inmate altercation" on Sun- two kidnapping charges from Charles- 2026, according to records. He was nei- A car was driving on East day at the Level 2 security facility in ton in 2004, according to SCDC inmate ther eligible for parole nor furlough. Calhoun Street about 1:30 a.m. Clarendon County, according to the records. What started the fight or how Capers Monday when it supposedly South Carolina Department of Correc- He received nine disciplinaries be- was killed were not immediately clear. drove through a stop sign at tions. tween 2010 and 2015 for offenses in- The Clarendon County Sheriff's Of- the intersection with Salter- The agency posted on Twitter just cluding possession of a weapon and fice, EMS and SLED assisted on scene. stown Road, according to Ken after 5 p.m. Sunday that it and SLED possession/attempt to possess a cell- SCDC Police Services will investigate Bell, public information officer were responding to an incident "isolat- phone. the incident with assistance from for the Sumter County Sheriff's ed to one housing unit" and that there Capers was involved in a riot in 2013 SLED Crime Scene. Office. Bell said the vehicle crashed through a fence and slid about 60 feet in a field before sliding into a pond. "No one resurfaced from the Man who tries to vehicle," he said. The car was pulled out, but no one was inside, he said, and escape checkpoint there was evidence the driver escaped through a window. With below-freezing temper- atures on New Year's Eve, a faces drug charges dive team could not perform search-and-rescue operations, he said. South Carolina Highway Pa- No DUI arrests on last day of ’17 trol Lance Cpl. David Jones could not be reached on Monday, BY KAYLA ROBINS Sumter-Lee Regional Deten- and a report had not been filed [email protected] tion Center. on the agency's listen-only mes- Franklin's attempted es- saging system as of press time. One man in Sumter Coun- cape was seemingly the most ty tried to run his way out of notable arrest to close out 2017 but ended up ringing in 2017, but it may not have PHOTOS PROVIDED the new year in a jail cell. been the most significant Ronnie Roosevelt Franklin is taken from a cotton field after he re- Ronnie Roosevelt Frank- fact. portedly attempted to flee from Sumter County sheriff’s deputies Sumter may lin, 29, report- Sumter County Sheriff's on Sunday. edly fled in- Office deputies did not ar- stead of stop- rest anyone for driving OK to smoke marijuana and offense," he said. "While this add damaged ping for a Sum- under the influence on Sun- drive," Bell said. "You can is about the same as last ter County day. get just as high on marijua- year, we were glad to see Sheriff's Office "It is unusual to have no na as you can alcohol." there weren't more people meter fee to checkpoint on DUI arrests on New Year's He said the number of driving after already having Florence High- FRANKLIN Eve," Bell said. "Hopefully, people arrested with drugs their license suspended way and South that means the message is in Sumter County this New twice." water rates Main Street on getting through." Year's Eve is "about the Tonyia McGirt, Sumter Sunday, according to Ken Otherwise, the last day of same" as last year. Police Department public in- FROM STAFF REPORTS Bell, public information offi- the year "went about aver- "We had four arrests for formation officer, said she cer for the agency. age." people driving under sus- did not hear of any signifi- Sumter City Council will After the Lynchburg man "We still made arrests that pension and one for driving cant crashes or arrests on meet at 5:30 p.m. today in City wrecked his 2014 Dodge totaled almost $10,000 in under suspension, second Sunday. Council Chambers, Sumter Challenger, he apparently fines," Bell said. Opera House, 21 N. Main St., attempted to run away into a Deputies confiscated al- to consider first reading of an cotton field. He was detained most 19 grams of cocaine, BY THE NUMBERS 40 ordinance to amend the city's shortly after, Bell said. less than 1 gram of crack co- grams of possession of marijuana with intent water and sewer rates to in- Deputies reportedly found caine and 40 grams of mari- Sumter County Sheriff’s Office conducted to distriute clude a fee for damaged me- 4 ounces of cocaine in the juana that were reportedly numerous checkpoints on Sunday. ters. car, some of it sitting on the possessed with intent to dis- The following was yielded: 1 Council will also consider driver’s side arm rest, and 8 tribute, according to totals speeding an ordinance to amend the ounces of marijuana, ac- from the sheriff's office.