Police | North Myrtle Beach man gets 10 years for lewd act on minor

Police

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH

Man gets 10 years for lewd act on minor

A North Myrtle Beach man will serve 10 years in prison and five years' probation after he pleaded guilty to two counts of lewd act on a minor under the age of 16, according to court records.

Wendell Patrick Smith, 44, pleaded guilty before Circuit Court Judge Larry Hyman, who sentenced him to 15 years in prison on both charges, but suspended that sentence upon Smith's service of 10 years in prison and five years probation, according to records. The sentences will run concurrently.

CONWAY

Fire damages warehouse space

Fire damaged a downtown Conway warehouse space early Thursday, said Conway Fire Rescue Capt. Jeremy Carter.

Firefighters were called about midnight to 406 Beaty St., where they found a blaze inside an empty warehouse space of the building there, Carter said. It took firefighters about 10 minutes to get the blaze under control and about 20 percent of the building was damaged by fire.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Carter said. No one was hurt during the incident and nearby buildings were not damaged.

MYRTLE BEACH

Homeless man died of natural causes

A homeless man, who was found dead in a wooded area east of Wal-Mart on Seaboard Street in Myrtle Beach, died from natural causes, said Horry County Deputy Coroner Chris Burroughs.

Robert Mathers, 49, had family in North Carolina and was found dead Wednesday, Horry County Coroner Robert Edge said.

The man had a history of medical conditions, according to authorities.

Police responded Wednesday evening to the wooded area after someone found the man in a homeless camp area there. Authorities said there were no obvious signs of foul play.

MYRTLE BEACH

Couple charged with attacking two others

A North Carolina couple were charged with attacking another couple who were walking along Ocean Boulevard after a dispute about obscenities, according to a police report.

Jake Gibb, 23, and Jessica Marie Roberts, 25, were each charged with third-degree assault and battery after police were called at 1 a.m. Wednesday to the area of Ocean Boulevard and 13th Avenue South, police said. Roberts also was charged with public intoxication.

The arrests occurred after a 31-year-old man from Campobello and a 33-year-old Pisgah Forest woman reported being assaulted by the couple, according to the report.

The woman told police Roberts attacked her as she walked along Ocean Boulevard with the man and their 5-year-old son because the suspects were cursing loudly and the man asked them to be mindful of their language around the boy.

The woman also told police Gibb got out of a vehicle and attacked the man before Gibb left the area, according to the report.

MYRTLE BEACH

Man pleads guilty to lewd act on minor

A Myrtle Beach man pleaded guilty to a charge of lewd act on a minor under the age of 16, according to court records.

Richard Andrew Corria, 44, was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Larry Hyman to 10 years in prison, but Hyman suspended that sentence upon Corria's service of seven years in prison and five years on probation, according to records.

CONWAY

Man sentenced for throwing bodily fluids

Thomas Smart, 46, of Conway was sentenced to 16 years in prison after being found guilty of throwing bodily fluids, failure to stop for a blue light, threatening the life of a public official and resisting arrest, according to court records.

Circuit Court Judge William Seals sentenced Smart to 10 years for the fluid charge, three years for the failing to stop charge, three years for threatening a public official and six months for resisting arrest. Seals ordered the sentences to run consecutively.

Local

GRAND STRAND

Fall catalog for OLLI now available

The fall catalog for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Coastal Carolina University is now available, featuring a wide variety of noncredit courses for adult learners, according to a release from the university.

More than 300 classes and workshops are planned for the fall term, Sept. 13 to Dec. 15, at three centers: Conway, Foundation Center at U.S. 501 and Winyah Road; Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach Education Center at 79th Avenue North and U.S. 17 Bypass; and Litchfield, Waccamaw Higher Education Center at 160 Willbrook Blvd..

Courses include art and photography, computer technology, foreign languages, history and government, literature and writing, music, theater and film, personal growth and skills, religion and philosophy, science and nature, and history and nature excursions.

The catalog can be found at www.coastal.edu/olli, along with the weekly newsletter. For information or a catalog by mail, call 349-4001 (Conway), 349-2726 (Myrtle Beach) or 349-6584 (Waccamaw).