Police | Family saved from Christmas tree fire

POLICE

HORRY COUNTY

Family saved from Christmas tree fire

Horry County fire crews said a working smoke detector saved a Conway area family from their burning home early Thursday, according to a news release.

Firefighters were called soon after midnight Wednesday to 109 Hampton Ridge Road in Conway for the blaze and found smoke coming from the home, said Leslie Yancey, Horry County Fire Rescue spokeswoman.

Firefighters went inside the home and attacked the fire with water and got it under control in about 15 minutes.

The fire was ruled accidental after investigators determined the blaze began with a Christmas tree, Yancey said.

She said residents should remove their live trees from their homes before the needles dry out to prevent a fire hazard.

The family told firefighters they were awakened by smoke detectors, saw fire in the living room and escaped through a bedroom window, Yancey said.

“Smoke alarms are the first line of defense against smoke and fire in your home,” said Justin Gibbins, assistant chief of operations at Horry County Fire Rescue. “As this situation shows, simply stated – fire alarms that are in good working order save lives. We urge all residents to check the batteries in their alarms.”

CONWAY

Masked men threaten clerk, rob store

Conway police are searching for four armed men who threatened to kill a store clerk during a robbery this week, according to a news release issued Thursday.

Officers were called about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday to the Scotchman at 3410 W. U.S. 501 for an armed robbery, said Catina Hipp, public information officer.

The victims told police that four men armed with guns came into the store demanding money.

The store clerk gave the men money from the cash register and he told her it was not enough and threatened to kill her, Hipp stated in the release. Other victims in the store at the time of the robbery were forced to get on the floor before the robbers left the store and ran behind the building.

The robbers had a white bandana or a white hockey type mask covering their faces during the robbery, Hipp said.

Anyone with any information about the robbery or the identity of the suspects can call Conway police at 248-1790.

CONWAY

Man arrested on sexual assault charges

A 21-year-old man has been arrested on a charge he sexually assaulted a woman, according to Catina Hipp, public information officer for Conway police.

Paul Anthony Mishoe, 21, of Conway was arrested Wednesday while at his girlfriend’s house and charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct, Hipp said. Mishoe appeared before Judge Andy Hendrick, who set his bail at $10,000.

The charge stemmed from an incident on Dec. 1 at 2313-B Williams Street in Conway, Hipp said.

A woman reported two men sexually assaulted her at the location.

Kelsey Rhassan Phillips, 21, of Conway, was charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct after he turned himself into police last week and Judge Jane Mackey set Phillips bond at $10,000.

MYRTLE BEACH

Woman reports headstones vandalized

Myrtle Beach police are investigating a report of vandalism after a 58-year-old woman discovered someone had desecrated her family’s headstone at a cemetery, according to a police report.

The woman’s father had recently passed away and the woman met with funeral home staff to plan a burial service when the vandalism was discovered about 11:40 a.m. Wednesday at 500 Fourth Ave. N., police said.

Someone used black spray painted to vandalize the woman’s family headstones in the cemetery, according to the report.

A worker responsible for the ground maintenance told police he would have someone remove the paint from the headstones.

Local

GRAND STRAND

Area Sears, Kmarts spared closings

Sears and Kmart stores along the Grand Strand have survived the first round of store closings that Sears Holdings announced earlier this week it would make.

The 125-year-old retailer released a list Thursday of 79 of the planned 100 to 120 stores that it would close, and none of the stores along the Grand Strand are listed. Only one South Carolina store will close – a Sears on Broad Street in Sumter.

Sears has one main store along the Grand Strand, at Coastal Grand Mall in Myrtle Beach, and smaller “hometown” stores in North Myrtle Beach, Loris and Georgetown that officials say aren’t subject to the closing plan. Kmart has three area stores, at 1403 N. Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach, at 1610 Church St. in Conway and at Inlet Square Mall in Murrells Inlet.

Sears Holdings Corp., which began with a mail-order catalog in the 1880s, said Tuesday it would close more than 100 stores to raise cash, adding that it would not prop up “marginally performing” locations. The closings are expected to raise between $140 million and $170 million.

Sears Holdings has about 4,000 stores in the U.S.

There was no word on when the retailer will name the other stores that will close.

From staff reports