Police | Two arrested on weapons charges in Surfside Beach

POLICE

SURFSIDE BEACH

Weapons arrests in Surfside Beach

A special investigation in Surfside Beach landed two men in jail on weapons charges, according to the town’s police Chief Mike Frederick.

David Earl Kelly, 18, of Surfside Beach, was charged with unlawful carrying of a pistol, possession of firearm with serial number removed, possession of an altered or counterfeit driver’s license.

Also arrested was Bryan James Harris, 17, of Myrtle Beach on charges for unlawful carrying of a pistol, possession of firearm with serial number removed and possession of a firearm by person under age of 18.

Frederick said officers learned Kelly had possibly been involved in a firearm incident in another jurisdiction when they started their investigation. Police found a car, operated by a third person, who was not charged.

During a traffic stop, officers found the loaded handgun sticking out under the front seat, Frederick said.

Kelly also was arrested by Surfside Beach police last October and charged with assaulting an officer, in an unrelated incident, Frederick said.

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH

Man accused of attempted sexual assault

A North Myrtle Beach man was charged with trying to rape a woman as she showered during the weekend, according to a police report.

Shane Wesley Cook, 21, was charged with second-degree assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct on Saturday and released about four hours later on $10,000 bail, according to jail records.

The charge stemmed from about 10:30 p.m. Friday when North Myrtle Beach police found a 22-year-old woman crying at the Sunset Harbour amenity center at 1339 Waterway Drive, according to a police report.

The woman told officers that a man tried to force her to have sex with him and threatened her while she showered in her bathing suit in his home.

The woman said he tried to remove her swim suit, threatened to strangle her, ripped a shower curtain rod from the wall and held it to her throat while he threatened her again, according to the report. The woman said she was able to get out of the house with a friend, who had introduced her to Cook.

The friend drove the woman to the amenity center where police were driving by and saw her crying, according to the report.

CONWAY

Woman charged with child neglect

Conway police charged a Galivants Ferry woman Sunday night after officers learned she was intoxicated and tried to leave a hospital emergency room with her 3-year-old-daughter, police said.

Melissa Dawn Garbade, 39, was charged with public intoxication, disorderly conduct and unlawful neglect of a child and was booked into J. Reuben Long Detention Center at 4:46 a.m. Sunday, according to jail records. She was released at 9:52 a.m. on $1,539 bail.

Conway officers went to Conway Medical Center’s emergency room at 7:12 p.m. Sunday for an intoxicated person, according to the report. Hospital security stopped Garbade and called police after she tried to leave the ER with the child.

Garbade told officers she drove her child to the ER, but no one saw her drive up and officers could not find her vehicle.

A nurse cared for the toddler while police called Garbade’s 21-year-old son to pick the child up, according to the report.

Local

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH

North Myrtle Beach to install turbines

Two new wind turbines are going up in North Myrtle Beach this week, according to Jennifer Prince, spokeswoman for the North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce.

Wind Turbines of SC, LLC will install two Skystream 3.7 horizontal axis turbines which can generate up to two kilowatts of electricity, Prince said in a news release.

One will go up at 3 p.m. Tuesday at First Avenue South in North Myrtle Beach. The second one will be installed at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Russell Burgess Coastal Preserve located at 3613 Duffy Street.

This is the third wind turbine installation in North Myrtle Beach.

The first installation in the city was in 2010 at Oceanfront Park on Ocean Boulevard in the Cherry Grove section of North Myrtle Beach next to the Towers on the Grove at 22nd Avenue North.

For more information visit northstrandcoastalwindteam.org.

HORRY COUNTY

Students can earn scholarships

Entries are being accepted for the Democratic Women’s Council of Horry County’s annual scholarship contest.

The essay contest is open to high school seniors and undergraduate college students, and this year’s theme is “The far-reaching effects of the 2012 election, and why electing Democrats matters more than ever.”

The top two essay writers will each receive a $1,000 scholarship. With this year’s awards, the Democratic Women’s Council will have provided more than $20,000 in scholarships since the program began in 2007, according to a press release from the organization.

Essays must be 1,000 to 1,500 words in length. All entrants must be registered voters of Horry County or scheduled for high school graduation by June.

The deadline for essay submissions is March 30.

For a list of rules, criteria, and other details, contact Essay Committee Chairwoman Milly Vaughn by email at mvaughn3@sc.rr.com.

For more information contact Sally Howard at 455-1936 or by email at SallyPHoward@aol.com.

From staff reports