A Starbucks closes, SLED investigates a state rep, a Senate dropout: This week in SC

It was an eventful week across the state, from a disturbing arrest in the Lowcountry to political shakeups and everyday changes closer to home. Here are the top stories from South Carolina.

Here are key takeaways:

• Hanahan Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Hedgpeth, 48, was arrested on federal charges of possession and production of child sexual abuse material. A criminal complaint alleges he paid dozens of minors through Cash App and PayPal to produce sex videos, with victims ranging from age 9 into the teens. He faces 15 to 30 years in federal prison and is being held without bond.

• SLED confirmed it has opened an investigation into state Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter over a $350,000 annual state appropriation to a nonprofit where she serves as executive director. The probe came after state Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, a candidate for attorney general, questioned the funding. Cobb-Hunter said she has “absolutely nothing to hide.”

• Project 2025 writer Paul Dans dropped his Republican primary challenge to U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and endorsed fellow candidate Mark Lynch. The Republican and Democratic primaries are June 9.

• Travers Antonio Berry, 50, of Columbia died after falling off a dock into Lake Murray on Saturday night. A dive team recovered his body about two hours later under the dock on the Irmo side of the Dreher Shoals Dam.

• The Starbucks at 276 Harbison Blvd. in Columbia’s Harbison shopping district has permanently closed. The chain has shuttered about 400 U.S. locations in roughly the last year.

Story produced with AI assistance and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and reported entirely by journalists.