Police | Home fire cause under investigation

POLICE

HORRY COUNTY

Home fire cause under investigation

Horry County fire investigators are searching for the cause of a blaze that destroyed a home in Bucksport Monday night, said Leslie Yancey, public information officer for Horry County Fire Rescue.

Firefighters were called about 7 p.m. Monday to a home located on Bucksport Road, which is located off U.S. 701 South, Yancey said. There were flames coming from the double-wide mobile home when firefighters arrived there.

No one was home at the time of the fire and the blaze remains under investigation, Yancey said.

HORRY COUNTY

Traffic fatalities down so far this year

State Department of Public Safety officials announced that 11 people were killed on state roads during the weekend and 17 people have been killed so far this year.

There were 19 people killed during the same time period last year, according to Sid Gaulden with the S.C. Department of Public Safety.

Through midnight January 8, three pedestrians, one motorcyclist and one bicyclist have died on state roads and highways, Gaulden said in a news release.

HORRY COUNTY

Title loan business robbed

Horry County police charged a Loris man with armed robbery in connection with an incident at a title loan business, according to Sgt. Robert Kegler.

Tabais Letrey Goodman, 23, was charged with armed robbery and booked into J. Reuben Long Detention Center at 7 p.m. Monday, according to jail records. He is being held pending a bond hearing.

Goodman is the second man charged in connection with the robbery of the Cash USA business located at 1616 U.S. 701, Kegler said.

Norad Arcane McCullough, 18, of Loris, was booked into J. Reuben Long Detention Center at 4:51 p.m. Jan. 4 on charges of armed robbery and failure to appear, according to jail records.

Police were called Dec. 13 to the business for the robbery after three men wearing ski masks went into the business and pointed a handgun at an employee and demanded money.

The robbers got more than $1,200 from the business and ran out.

A police bloodhound tracking team tried to follow the suspects in the robbery after they ran out of the business, but did not immediately locate them, according to the report. Detectives continue their investigation into the robbery.

MYRTLE BEACH

Man charged with choking woman

Myrtle Beach police arrested a 26-year-old man after his girlfriend told police he choked her because she cheated on him, according to a police report.

Thomas Eugene McCormick, 26, was charged with criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature after officers were called about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday to 2605 S. Ocean Blvd., police said.

A 21-year-old woman told police that McCormick choked her after she admitted to him she had cheated, according to the report.

The woman said she was unable to breath and McCormick refused to let her go.

The woman said she screamed for her sister to call police and McCormick took the cell phone, according to the report.

Officers were in the hallway at the motel, Holiday South, when they heard the woman screaming for help.

The woman had handprints on her neck, but she refused to be taken to a local hospital.

Local

HORRY COUNTY

Meetings set for input on education act

The S.C. Department of Education will have two meetings available to local residents where they can give their response to the state’s position on the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, or No Child Left Behind Act. The state has requested flexibility from certain provisions of the act.

The first meeting is a statewide virtual meeting that will be held Wednesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The link for the virtual meeting will be http://ed.sc.gov/events/esea/. Questions for the meeting may be submitted beginning at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The second meeting will be held in Horry County Jan. 18 at Conway High School from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

State Department of Education staff members will present the four principles included in the federal waiver, which address college and career readiness; state-developed standards for recognition, accountability and support; effective leadership and instruction; and the reduction of duplicate reporting and responsibilities. The public will be invited to make comments and ask questions.

The events are part of the public comment period State Superintendent of Education Mick Zais announced Dec. 16 and continues through Jan. 23.

The draft proposal, public comment form and schedule of community stakeholder meetings are online: http://ed.sc.gov/agency/lpa/ESEAFlexibility.cfm.

From staff reports