Police | Dog found chained to tree in Myrtle Beach, man cited

POLICE

MYRTLE BEACH

Collapsed runner awake and speaking

Alan Gassel, the Tennessee man who collapsed while running in the Bi-Lo Myrtle Beach Marathon woke Tuesday from his coma.

His wife, Wendy Graziani, said doctors woke him from a medically induced coma around 10 a.m. A couple hours later, she said he started talking and was aware of his surroundings.

“He’s awake and speaking,” she said. “He has no short term memory and does not even remember leaving Knoxville. Other than that, he’s quite aware of everything before.”

She said he remembers names and birthdays, but nothing from race day.

Gassel collapsed around mile 18 of the marathon according to Mark Schecker, the marathon’s medical director.

Several runners reacted quickly, including one who is a doctor from North Carolina, and stopped to help Gassel until EMTs arrived.

He was taken to Grand Strand Medical Center in critical condition and is still at the hospital.

“Believe it or not, all the EMS people that came and rescued him came to visit him,” Graziani said. ``They’re were about five of them. They said it was the first time that they got to follow up on a patient. I thought that was really cool.’’

MYRTLE BEACH

Dog found chained to tree, man cited

A Myrtle Beach man was cited with animal abuse or mistreatment after police found a dog chained to a tree during the weekend heavy rainfall , according to an arrest report.

Gary R. Pulsifer, 43, was cited on the charge after officers were called about 7:40 a.m. Monday to the 4000 block of Camellia Drive in Myrtle Beach about a Pitbull chained to a tree with no shelter, police said.

Another person at the house called Pulsifer and he came to the address and told police he was spending the night and put the dog out earlier in the morning, according to the report. Pulsifer told police that the dog would not use the dog house and he felt the tree was adequate shelter. The dog was taken to another house and police cited Pulsifer.

MYRTLE BEACH

Third suspect in hotel robbery charged

A third man has been arrested by Myrtle Beach police and charged in connection with a robbery the occurred over the weekend at an Ocean Boulevard hotel, according to police records.

Jeremy Lee Ayers, 31, of Myrtle Beach was charged Monday with strong arm robbery and taken into police custody in the 400 block of 11th Avenue South, according to Myrtle Beach Jail records.

Two other men, Harry Jamielle Lockett, Jr., 23, and Jacob Zachary Simmons, 24, both of Myrtle Beach, were charged on Sunday after a man reported that they assaulted and robbed him while they were drinking together at the Wayfarer Motel, 311 N. Ocean Blvd., police said.

The victim told officers he was in his room with Lockett and Simmons and Ayers, drinking beer just before 1 a.m. Sunday.

The victim said the three others assaulted him and reached into his pocket and grabbed $1,200, then ran out of the room.

He said his cell phone was also taken.

Just before police arrived, someone in another room heard the commotion in the victim’s room, went to check on him and found him lying on the floor with injuries to his head, the police report said.

Nearly two hours later, officers were called to another hotel and found Lockett and Simmons there and took them into custody.

Local

STATEWIDE

Some drivers to get break on suspension

The S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles’ Driver Suspension Eligibility Week will be held March 5-9 for drivers with certain license suspensions, the department said in a news release.

The program will be held in all DMV offices across the state and in six offices March 10.

During Driver Suspension Eligibility Week, S.C. drivers who have lost driving privileges for suspensions included in the program may be able to reduce or clear the remaining time of their suspension.

Drivers the program will benefit are: underage drivers suspended for excessive points; those suspended for operating an unlicensed taxi or vehicle; drivers suspended for operating an uninsured vehicle that they did not own; those suspended for operating or allowing operation of an uninsured vehicle; and drivers suspended for driving under suspension, excluding alcohol or drug related convictions.

To qualify for the program, drivers must meet all of the conditions of their suspensions. All fees must be paid, and SR-22 insurance must be filed, if required. For those with more than one suspension, DMV will recalculate the suspension time. Drivers with suspensions not covered by the program must serve their suspension.

Drivers who have clear records may apply for a driver’s licenses.

Depending on the type of suspension, they may be required to take the vision, knowledge and road skills tests before getting a new driver’s license. During Driver Suspension Eligibility Week, many DMV offices may experience a longer wait time due to the increased number of customers.

“We encourage customers who believe they qualify for this program to start getting ready now. Find out exactly what you have to do, and get it done. The sooner you start the process, the better off you are,” said Executive Director Kevin Shwedo.

For more information, visit www.scdmvonline.com.

From staff reports