Gun-toting student arrested at Richland Northeast

A 14-year-old student at Richland Northeast High School was arrested Tuesday morning at the school after being found with a 9 mm pistol tucked in his waistband.

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said the youth was charged with carrying a weapon on school grounds and the unlawful carrying of a pistol. He was taken to the state Department of Juvenile Justice.

Lott said other students, alarmed Monday when they learned a fellow student was carrying a pistol, told their parents, who called the sheriff's department.

"We found out about this from the good kids," said Lott, who has had deputies in schools for more than a decade. "This has been the goal for 13 years. Schools are safe zones. Kids know who to go to now."

Bullets for the pistol were found in a bag in a classroom.

Lott said deputies continue to question why the youth had a gun. At this point, Lott said, he has no plans to propose metal detectors for county schools. "This appears to be an isolated incident."

- John Monk

Camden coach charged with committing lewd act

A former Camden High School teacher and girls' basketball coach misrepresented himself on a social networking site to attract attention from a 15-year-old girl at the school, police investigators said Tuesday.

Police say Sean Cassidy, 32, later revealed himself to the student and then allegedly sent her a message asking to meet in his classroom during his free period. Cassidy is charged with committing lewd acts upon a child younger than 16 and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, Camden Police Chief Joe Floyd said.

Cassidy resigned from the school on Friday after police began their investigation, Floyd said. Cassidy used a false picture and gave a false description of himself on the Web site, Floyd said. He did admit his age. He also sent her text messages, Floyd said.

When the student went to Cassidy's classroom, he allegedly touched her in inappropriate places, Floyd said. The girl, who is not a basketball player, later confided in another coach, the chief said. Camden High officials suspended Cassidy and removed him from his coaching job on Thursday, said Mary Anne Byrd, a spokeswoman for Kershaw County schools. He was arrested on Monday.

- Noelle Phillips

Fire causes evacuation of 17 hospital patients

A fire caused $80,000 in damage to a Richland County hospital and required patient evacuations Monday evening, but caused no injuries.

A television cabinet caught fire around 7:30 p.m. Monday night at Providence Northeast, Columbia Fire Department Deputy Chief Aubrey Jenkins said.

The fire emitted heavy smoke in a second-floor wing that prompted hospital staff to evacuate five patients from the wing to another location in the hospital, Jenkins said. Spreading smoke also required the evacuation of 12 additional patients from a nearby wing.

A sprinkler head in the room containing the fire activated, keeping the fire in check until firefighters arrived, Jenkins said. The cabinet shielded the fire from the sprinkler, preventing it from putting it out. Water and smoke cleanup account for a large part of the estimated damage, he said.

- Kelly Davis

Woman whose body found in house ID'd

Authorities have identified the body of a woman found Monday in Columbia.

Yvonne Sine, 35, was found in an abandoned house on Ames Road, Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said. She was homeless.

Watts has not determined a cause of death and autopsy results are pending. Watts described the circumstances of Sine's death as "suspicious."

Ames Road runs parallel to Farrow Road in North Columbia.

- Noelle Phillips

Lexington deputy facing child porn charges

Lexington County authorities have arrested and charged a sheriff's deputy on child pornography charges.

Craig Edward Wlaschin, 25, has been fired from the department, according to a news release. Wlaschin was arrested Monday evening and charged with second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor after a tip led to an investigation.

Wlaschin was not on duty at the time of his arrest. He was a road patrol deputy based in a region near Irmo.

An arrest warrant accuses Wlaschin of downloading images of children engaged in sexual activity, duplicating the images and storing them on his personal computer.

An investigation was opened into Wlaschin's activities Jan. 31. A search of the computer turned up the images, the department said.

Wlaschin had been a Lexington County deputy since Sept. 10, 2007.

- Kelly Davis

Man accused of arson turns himself in

The investigation into a costly October 2009 arson fire might soon be closed.

A man suspected of starting the fire turned himself in to the Columbia Police Department on Tuesday morning, Columbia Fire Department Deputy Chief Aubrey Jenkins said.

Joe Benjamin Fennell, 27 and a Cypress Run resident, is suspected in the Oct. 25 fire that caused $400,000 in damage at the Cypress Run Apartments on Broad River Road.

- Kelly Davis

3 Quail Run families displaced by fire

Three families were displaced after a fire at their apartment complex Monday evening.

The fire of unknown cause started in a downstairs apartment at the Quail Run Apartments sometime before 6:30 p.m., Columbia Fire Department interim Chief Aubrey Jenkins said.

Firefighters, dispatched at 6:34 p.m., arrived at 6:42 p.m. and had the fire under control at 6:50 p.m., he said. However, the fire had spread to the apartment above and caused smoke damage to the other two units in the building, Jenkins said.

There was a resident at home in the unit where the fire started, but that person escaped without injury, he said. There were no serious injuries, but one person was transported to the hospital for possible smoke inhalation, Jenkins said.

Damage was estimated at about $150,000. The Richland County Fire Marshal's Office is investigating.

Three of the four units in the building were occupied.

Quail Run is on Lake Road off Percival Road.

- Kelly Davis

Older robber kills himself after holding up bank

MYRTLE BEACH - No one expected Frank Palazzo to rob a bank when the 71-year-old painting contractor rolled up to one in his silver Jaguar.

However, authorities said Palazzo did just that for the fourth and final time Monday, desperate for money to keep his business afloat. He'd already borrowed thousands from relatives in the past year.

Police were chasing the luxury car down a highway in Myrtle Beach when Palazzo shot and killed himself. The car wrecked; no one else was hurt.

Palazzo's sister-in-law Marian Palazzo said her brother-in-law bought the Jaguar when business was good. But the economic downturn hit the construction industry especially hard - costing the state 20,000 jobs in the past two years - and Frank Palazzo's business was crumbling. He slipped into depression and took medication to help him sleep, she said.

- The Associated Press

Woman who killed 2 grandchildren, self left note

HANAHAN - Police said a woman who killed herself and two grandchildren left two notes indicating she was depressed and worried about financial and family issues.

Hanahan police said the grandfather found the bodies of his wife, Phyllis Oser, 51, and 5-year-old Kylie Lavelle and 5-month-old Landon Lavelle in their home Sunday morning.

Police Chief Donald Wilcox said Phyllis Oser left a package for a daughter who was not the children's mother to pick up Sunday. One of the notes was in that package.

Wilcox says the second note was found in the home. He did not release the details. Court records indicated the children's parents had been in a custody fight.

- The Associated Press

Officers suspended as remarks investigated

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH - Two police officers have been placed on leave while officials investigate allegations that they made vulgar sexual remarks about female co-workers and crime victims.

North Myrtle Beach police Maj. Walt Floyd and Lt. Don Repec have been placed on leave until an investigation is complete.

Floyd was the interim director of the public safety department, replacing William Bailey, who was demoted to lieutenant for lying to city officials about the theft of his police handgun from his truck.

Capt. Rick Buddelmeyer now takes over as interim director of the department.

City manager John Smithson said he didn't know how long it would take to investigate the allegations against Floyd and Repec.

- The Associated Press

Agent: Clerk of court stole, then sold drugs

SPARTANBURG - Authorities say the Spartanburg County clerk of court and methamphetamine from an evidence room and sold them.

Kitchens was arrested Monday after making a $3,000 payment to a second man who was finding someone to sell the drugs, federal prosecutors said.

A Drug Enforcement Administration agent said the seller was a confidential informant who told the DEA where he got the drugs.

Authorities were trying to figure out the amount of drugs taken and whether Kitchens had tried to brokered a drug deal before. Kitchens is charged with conspiring to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine. The charge carries up to 20 years in prison.

- The Associated Press