Two men added to Sumter County Most Wanted list following vicious Thanksgiving -eve beating

Two Sumter County men are being sought following an attack on a Cherryvale man the day before Thanksgiving.

The unidentified victim allegedly was beaten “for an extended period of time” by Jawan Louis Artis, 24, Howard "Alex" Hodge, 23, and a third yet-to-be-identified assailant, Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis said in a news release.

The victim was badly wounded in the beating and robbed of $400 at a residence on the 1200 block of Cherryvale Drive.

The two suspects, wanted for attempted murder and strong arm robbery, have been added to the county’s Most Wanted list and should be considered armed and dangerous, Dennis said. The two were last seen in a light blue mini-van in the Cherryvale area.

Artis is described as a 5’ 7” tall slim black male with short black hair, brown eyes and a tattoo on the right side of his neck. Hodge, a white male with teardrop tattoos under both his eyes, also stands about 5’ 7” tall and weighs about 170 pounds. He has short brown hair and gray eyes.

The third assailant is described as a 6-foot-tall black male with dreadlocks, going by the name "Gigi."

Anyone with information concerning any of the suspects in this incident is asked to contact the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office at (803) 436-2000 or Crime Stoppers at (803) 436-2718.