Charleston Local News - ABC News Radio

Crews Respond to Two Overnight Fires in North Charleston

Anselm Gibbs — Fri, 24 May 2013 16:46:33 +0000

(NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C.) -- Firefighters were kept busy overnight as two fires broke out at homes in North Charleston.

The first blaze was reported around 11:30 p.m. on the 7700 block of Jadewood Drive. Fire crews responded and discovered a fire at the rear of the structure, with flames coming from the roof, officials said in published reports. Crews worked to put out the flames, and there was no word of injuries.

The second blaze was reported shortly before 5 a.m. at a home on the 3600 block of Pinoca Lane, with firefighters responding and finding light smoke coming from under the structure. There were also no reports of injury in this case.

Investigators are working to determine what caused both fires.

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Woman Arrested After Attempting to Defraud Bank

Louis Milman — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:22:00 +0000

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) -- A woman from Decatur, Ga. was arrested after presenting forged documents in an attempt to defraud a bank of more than $133,000.

Vivienne Kaye Bloch, 52, presented a forged wire transfer document and a counterfeit California driver's license at a Bank of America on St. Andrews Road. She attempted to transfer over $133,642.28 from the bank account of a business to that of someone else, according to the Midlands Crimestoppers.

Bloch is reportedly under investigation in nine other states for a series of fraudulent transfers from business accounts to other unauthorized bank accounts.

Bloch was taken into custody after the incident at the Bank of America and charged with forgery, financial identity theft, defrauding a federally chartered or insured financial institution and financial transaction card theft. She is currently being held on $600,000 bail.

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Authorities to Conduct Boat Inspections over Holiday Weekend

Anselm Gibbs — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:14:24 +0000

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) -- With the Memorial Day weekend marking the unofficial start of summer, and some South Carolina residents getting set to hit the waters, authorities say they'll be out on the state's waters to ensure that safety prevails.

The Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division will be conducting courtesy safety inspections over the weekend at some public boat landings, including in Charleston County.

On Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon, officials will be carrying out inspections at the following locations in Charleston County: County Farm Landing (Ashley River); Folly Landing (Folly River); Remley's Point Landing (Wando River); and Wappoo Cut Landing, located south of the Charleston.

Officials say if boat operators are found not to be in compliance with safety regulations or registration requirements during the complimentary inspections, they won't be ticketed. Still, they will be given the chance to correct the problem before they launch their boat.

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Men Arrested for Burglary After Tracking Device Locates Computer

Louis Milman — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:26:13 +0000

(CHARLESTON, S.C.) -- Two men were taken into custody on Tuesday after a woman used a tracking device from Apple to locate her stolen computer, which was in their possession.

According to the Post and Courier, the woman and her mother returned home from the grocery store on Monday and heard what appeared to be someone running through the back door. The victim called police and officers noticed evidence of a possible robbery and an Apple iMac missing. Police believe the burglar entered the house through an unlocked sliding door, says the Post and Courier.

On Tuesday, the woman utilized Apple's iCloud service to locate the computer at a residence on Woodlawn Avenue. When police made a sweep of the home and found the laptop.

Joe Graybill, 22, was arrested. The Post and Courier reports that Graybill implicated Nathan Christopher Black, 53, as an accomplice. Both men were charged with second-degree burglary.

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Charleston Cops Search for Man Who Damaged Victim's Property

Anselm Gibbs — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:44:03 +0000

(CHARLESTON, S.C.) -- Charleston Police are searching for a suspect who allegedly damaged someone's personal property.

Police have identified the suspect as Ryan Davis. He's wanted on three counts of malicious damage to personal property.

Anyone with information on Davis' whereabouts is asked contact Charleston Police at 577-7434 or Crime Stoppers at 554-1111.

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Suspect Sought in Daycare Vandalism

Anselm Gibbs — Thu, 23 May 2013 07:24:35 +0000

(CHARLESTON, S.C.) -- Charleston Police are searching for a suspect who they say vandalized a local daycare center earlier this month.

The incident was reported on May 9 at the Roper St. Francis Learning Center on Radcliffe Street. An employee at the daycare center told investigators that she saw an unknown male pull into the parking lot and spray paint a wooden security fence around the nursery.

Police say the graffiti writing was unintelligible.

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Charleston Police Arrest Man for Allegedly Damaging Cars

Anselm Gibbs — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:44:45 +0000

(CHARLESTON, S.C.) -- A man was arrested by Charleston Police on Tuesday night after he allegedly caused about $1,500 in damage to vehicles in a local neighborhood.

Brian White was arrested and charged with three counts of malicious injury to personal property.

White's arrest comes after police were called to East Bay Street shortly before midnight, on a report of vandalism. Police say at the scene they found that the mirrors on three parked vehicles had been damaged, with each vehicle sustaining approximately $500 in damage.

White was spotted by officers at the scene and taken into custody.

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Man Wanted for Allegedly Assaulting Toddler, Woman

Anselm Gibbs — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:22:40 +0000

(CHARLESTON, S.C.) -- A 20-year-old man is being sought by Charleston Police after he allegedly assaulted his 18-month-old daughter and the child's mother last week.

Edgar Christopher Jennings, Jr. is wanted on charges of criminal domestic violence and cruelty to children. The charges stem from an incident last Friday at a home on the 1600 block of Sam Rittenberg Blvd.

Police say Jennings assaulted the mother of his child by scratching her arm and biting her lip; and assaulted his daughter by pinching her arm because she wouldn't stop crying during the incident. Jennings is also accused of repeatedly threatening to kill the child's mother.

Anyone with information on Jennings' whereabouts is asked to contact police at 577-7434 or Crime Stoppers at 554-1111.

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Police Searching for Man Involved in Shooting

Louis Milman — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:20:23 +0000

(GOOSE CREEK, S.C.) -- Authorities are searching for a man in connection with a Tuesday night shooting in Goose Creek, S.C.

According to the Post and Courier, an argument occurred at about 8 p.m. on Leroy Court, when the suspect fired a gun, wounding a man.

The victim was a white man in his 40s. He was taken to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Sheriff's deputies are still searching for a suspect.

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Robbery Prompts Lockdown at North Charleston Schools

Anselm Gibbs — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:34:54 +0000

(NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C.) -- Several schools in North Charleston were placed on lockdown for part of Tuesday afternoon after an armed robbery was reported in the area.

As authorities investigated the robbery, Burns Elementary, Daniel Jenkins Academy, Mary Ford Elementary, Military Magnet, and the campus that houses Memminger and James Simons elementary schools, were all placed on lockdown, Charleston County School District officials said in published reports.

The lockdown was eventually lifted.

It was not immediately known if any arrests were made in connection with the robbery.

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