Police | Man reports assault outside hotel

POLICE

MYRTLE BEACH

Man reports assault outside hotel

A man was assaulted with a handgun outside a hotel Tuesday night in Myrtle Beach, according to a report from the Myrtle Beach Police Department.

Police responded at 10:23 p.m. Tuesday to La Quinta Inn & Suites at 1561 21st Ave. N. and met with a witness and the victim, who said he was walking around a the hotel after returning from dinner when a man approached him from behind.

The suspect walked in front of the victim and pointed an unknown type of handgun at him, demanding the victim’s wallet, the report said. The victim said he did not have a wallet.

The victim told police that when the gunman reached for the victim’s wallet, the victim pushed the suspect’s gun hand away and the gun fell.

The suspect picked up the gun, hit the victim in his head with it, then fled, police said.

The witness said he had returned from walking his dogs and noticed a man walking toward the rear of the property, the report said. The witness returned to his room, then a few minutes later heard a commotion in the rear parking lot outside his room. His dogs began to bark, and he looked out the window and saw the victim and the suspect in a physical altercation, he said.

According to the report, the witness said the suspect fled on foot toward the nearby shopping center. The K9 unit responded, but tracking dogs did not find the suspect.

MYRTLE BEACH

Man sentenced counterfeit check charges

A 46-year-old Charlotte man was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Florence for conspiracy to commit bank fraud, said U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles in a news statement released Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Terry Wooten of Florence sentenced Carlton Tomlinson, who is homeless, to two years in prison and ordered him to pay $70,138.05 in restitution, Nettles said.

Evidence presented at the guilty plea hearing showed that Tomlinson and his co-defendant, Michael Angelo Alexander, who is waiting to be sentenced, and others, cashed counterfeit commercial checks in Myrtle Beach, Charleston, and Georgetown, causing losses of over $80,000, Nettles said.

They claimed to have been provided the counterfeit checks from two unidentified individuals who drove Alexander and Tomlinson to banks to cash the checks so that the unidentified individuals would not be photographed by bank cameras.

Alexander and Tomlinson recruited other individuals to help negotiate the checks, Nettles said.

The case was investigated by the North Myrtle Beach Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service.

Local

MYRTLE BEACH

NAACP annual meeting set

The Myrtle Beach chapter of the NAACP is holding its annual meeting tonight, featuring guest speaker Cindy Ellsberry, superintendent of Horry County Schools. The meeting’s theme is “Soaring to New Levels of Education.”

The meeting is scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m. at the Canal Street Recreation Center, 901 Canal St., Myrtle Beach.

The meeting is open to everyone.

For more information, call chapter President Mickey James at 340-2018.

MURRELLS INLET

Tickets on sale for home tour

Tickets are on sale now for the “Christmas in the Inlet” Holiday Home Tour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

This year’s tour features eight homes in Wachesaw Plantation, a gated community overlooking the Waccamaw River in Murrells Inlet.

Advance tickets are $25 and include admission to Wachesaw Plantation and the eight homes, plus a comfort stop at Kimbels.

Lunch is not included in the price, but visitors can stop at any of the restaurants in the area.

Tickets can be purchased at Conway National Bank, Lee’s Inlet Apothecary or Lee’s Inlet Kitchen in Murrells Inlet, Elizabeth Taylor Satterfield Interior Design in Pawleys Island, Rose Arbor Fabrics in Myrtle Beach or Bodega in Conway. They can also be purchased online at www.murellsinletsc.com or by calling Murrells Inlet 2020 at 357-2007.

Tickets at the door will be $30 each and available until noon at Lee’s Inlet Apothecary, 3579 Highway 17 Business, Murrells Inlet.

Proceeds will benefit Murrells Inlet 2020, a community revitalization nonprofit organization.

For more information, visit www.murrrellsinletsc.com.

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From staff reports