IN SPORTS: Zion Williamson missed chance to shine for in-state school B1 Why babies can learn 2 languages at the same time THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2018 | Serving South Carolina since October 15, 1894 75 cents A4 Man gets 18 years in rape case BY ADRIENNE SARVIS ing, the jury of six men tences, each, for criminal sexual con- Semen and saliva samples taken from [email protected] and six women returned a duct and kidnapping, and five years for the victim were matched with a DNA guilty verdict for the possession of a weapon during a violent swab taken from McElveen, according Third Circuit Judge R. Ferrell Co- charges of first-degree crime, all to be served concurrently. to the forensic scientist with SLED. thran Jr. sentenced Edward McElveen, criminal sexual conduct, The prosecution introduced four new Sgt.Wayne DuBose with the sheriff's 67 — charged with sexually assaulting kidnapping and posses- witnesses: a SLED forensic scientist office said a .22-caliber handgun that his neighbor in February 2017 — to 18 MCELVEEN sion of a weapon during a specializing in DNA analysis, a Sumter can hold up to about five bullets was years in prison after the defendant was violent crime for the con- County Sheriff's Office investigator, a found in the defendant's possession found guilty of three charges on finement and rape of a Palmetto Health Tuomey critical care when he was arrested on Feb. 22. There Wednesday evening. Dalzell woman who was 78 at the time nurse and a woman who was visiting were two bullets in the gun just like the After two-and-a-half days of trial and on Feb. 21. her mother at Scenic Lake Mobile about an hour and a half of deliberat- McElveen received two 18-year sen- Home Park the night of the assault. SEE GUILTY, PAGE A6 Coming home Dad back from deployment surprises sons at schools BY KAYLA ROBINS [email protected] Karson Zimmerman thought Wednesday was just another school day. Then a face appeared in his class- room doorway he had not seen in a year except over a computer or phone screen. His classmates at Ebenezer Middle School stayed silent as they watched father and son reunite, son wrapping his arms around father's waist, burying his face into the Air- man Battle Uniform. Karson, a sixth-grader, and his brother, Gavyn, who is in ninth grade at Crestwood High School, are used to their father going away. When Mas- ter Sgt. Steven Zimmerman returned home to surprise his sons at school on Wednesday from a yearlong remote de- PHOTOS BY MICAH GREEN / THE SUMTER ITEM ployment in Korea, he ended his seventh deployment. This Karson Zimmerman cracks a time was different. smile, top, as he sees his father, Master Sgt. Steven Zimmerman, SEE HOME, PAGE A6 for the first time since a yearlong deployment to Korea. Karson’s WATCH THE VIDEO classmates at Ebenezer Middle School watched as he buried his Watch our video of the face in his father’s chest. His homecoming at ninth-grade brother, Gavyn, was www.Facebook.com/ surprised earlier at Crestwood theitem. High School. Leaders tell Chestnut Oaks students to ‘dream big’ at career forum BY BRUCE MILLS Turner and the professionals spoke [email protected] ‘Doing the right thing to the students at Chestnut Oaks, at 1200 Oswego Road, on various topics, "Dream big and set goals." That was and believing in including the importance of individu- the key message Wednesday as seven al responsibility, character, motiva- local business leaders spoke to a yourself is important.’ tion and attitude. group of 60 eighth-graders at Chest- Many leaders, including engineer nut Oaks Middle School's first-ever ca- DAJAN VANBUREN James Robinson, emphasized the im- reer forum. portance of dreams and goal setting to Sponsored by Greater Sumter An eighth-grader at Chestnut the school's eighth-graders, who gen- Chamber of Commerce, the event al- erally come from a high-poverty area lowed groups of students to rotate Oaks Middle School of the county. around for round-table discussions "First, you have to get your dream; BRUCE MILLS / THE SUMTER ITEM with each leader and hear what it then you set your goals," Robinson takes to be successful in today's busi- said. "The goals are the steps you need ness world. ing high school and earning their di- School District for about five years to accomplish to meet that dream. The seven leaders in attendance ploma. Each leader also explained the now. Once you start checking those off, you came from various career fields — the steps he or she had to take to advance Originally, the forums were held at see you are getting closer and closer military, business and industry, high- into careers. just the three high schools in the dis- to your dream." er education and others — but all em- Dennis Turner, chairman of the trict, but this year they have been ex- A senior manufacturing engineer phasized to the students the impor- Chamber's Education Committee, has panded to all seven middle schools, tance of education and at least finish- helped lead the forums in Sumter Turner said. SEE FORUM, PAGE A6 VISIT US ONLINE AT DEATHS, B3 WEATHER, A8 INSIDE Harry Pecko James J. Coker I’M WALKING ON SUNSHINE... 2 SECTIONS, 14 PAGES the .com VOL. 123, NO. 70 George Scott Vernell F. Lessel A little chilly today but with zero John E. Dingle Sr. Samuel T. Goodman chance of rain, it will be a perfect Classifieds B6 Opinion A7 Brenda K. Joslin Lucille F. Wilson day to get outside. Comics B4 Sports B1 Robert E. Moye Sr. Henry B. Jackson HIGH 56, LOW 28 Daily Planner A8 Television B7 A2 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2018 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] LOCAL BRIEFS FROM STAFF REPORTS Sumter native elected to college’s board Shaw: Cloud cover likely FROM STAFF REPORTS a privilege,” Cooper said. es firms. caused boom Monday Willie Cooper Jr., a Sumter native “I look forward to the op- Before becoming an independent and 1977 graduate of Mayewood High portunity.” consultant, Cooper conducted divi- Shaw Air Force Base conduct- School, has been elected to serve on Cooper, a certified pub- sion audits for a large regional bank ed explosive ordnance disposal the Presbyterian College board of lic accountant, has and internal audits for a large finan- training on Wednesday, which trustees. served as an independent cial services company. He also devel- the public may have heard or felt Cooper received a Bachelor’s De- COOPER accounting and finance oped and implemented accounting about 10:15 a.m., though it likely gree in Business Administration consultant since 1996. He and operations policy and proce- was not as strong as earlier in with an emphasis in Accounting has a wide range of expe- dures for a financial services firm the week. from Presbyterian College in 1981, rience in the public accounting, non- and led an accounting systems and Training also occurred at the according to a news release from the profit and professional services sec- software installation and implemen- Sumter base on Monday, causing college. tors, among others. tation. people to ask what shook their “I consider this opportunity to Cooper has held controller and Presbyterian College is a 240-acre house or what the booming was serve on the board of trustees of my CFO roles for sports technology, campus in Clinton, between Colum- that sounded like a bomb going alma mater to be both an honor and manufacturing and financial servic- bia and Greenville. off. “The sounds heard were part of a routine munition retrieval effort that happens twice a year — January and September,” said Technical Sgt. Nathan Allen of Crosswell holds Family Night Shaw’s Public Affairs Office. “The significant cloud cover [on Monday] likely created a ‘fluke’ situation that caused the explo- sions to be heard because nor- mally they are not.” Allen said the explosive ord- nance disposal team detonated less than 50 pounds of explosives on Monday, “which is not a lot for them.” He said this is the first time he has heard of the public hearing and feeling the training explo- sions since he’s been at Shaw. Design review committee meeting is canceled The Sumter City-County Plan- ning Department’s Historic Preservation Design Review Committee will not meet today as planned because there are no requests in the Planning Office that require review by the com- mittee, according to the city. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the committee is on Feb. 22 at 3:30 p.m. For questions or more infor- mation, call the Planning De- partment at (803) 774-1660. SAFE names Bishopville branch manager SAFE Federal Credit Union has named a new branch man- ager at its Bishopville location. Ashley Reddick will lead a staff of seven at the credit union’s 596 Sumter Highway location. BRUCE MILLS / THE SUMTER ITEM Reddick has From left, Crosswell Drive Elementary School teacher Fredericka Plowden, student Alena Bradley and her mother, Dawn Bradley, par- worked at SAFE ticipate in Monday’s Family Night at the school. since 2012, serving most of that time as head teller at the REDDICK Wesmark branch in Sumter. She recent- ly completed the company’s Sumter Elks sponsor Hoop Shoot competition for youth comprehensive management training program. “I love getting to know mem- BY IVY MOORE to 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the gym. continue on through state, regional bers and plan to be very hands Special to The Sumter Item The foundation has been sponsoring and national events.