Police

HORRY COUNTY

Longs man gets probation after plea

A Longs man was ordered to serve three years on probation and pay $250 restitution after he pleaded guilty to an assault charge stemming from September, according to court records.

John Wiley Morris, 22, Longs, pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree assault and battery and Circuit Court Judge Benjamin H. Culbertson sentenced him under the Youthful Offender Act, according to court records. Morris was ordered to a sentence not to exceed three years in prison, but that sentence was suspended to three years probation and restitution.

If Morris pays restitution, his probation will end after six months, according to court records. Morris was originally charged with attempted murder and was arrested Sept. 21 in connection with an incident that occurred Sept. 10 involving another man.

HORRY COUNTY

Man sent to prison for home invasion

A Conway man was ordered to serve more than seven years in prison after he pleaded guilty to a burglary charge in exchange for the dismissal of assault and weapon charges, according to the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

Jermaine Ashley Stewart, 34, of Conway pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree burglary and Circuit Court Judge Larry Hyman ordered him to serve seven and half years in prison, according to court records.

Stewart was arrested in July 2008 along with three other men in connection with a home invasion, but charges were dismissed against two of those men. Details about the home invasion were not immediately available.

David Levon Graham, 36, of Conway, pleaded guilty in October to accessory after the fact of a felony and is serving eight years in prison, according to court records.

Charges of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, assault with intent to kill and first-degree burglary against Stewart were dismissed.

Stewart was set to go to trial Wednesday on the charges.

MYRTLE BEACH

Hotel’s valet-parked vehicles broken into

Myrtle Beach police are investigating who took car keys from an oceanfront valet room, ransacked cars and stole a loaded gun from one vehicle, according to a police report.

Officers were called at 3:34 a.m. Wednesday to the Marriott at 8400 Costa Verde Drive for a burglary, police said. They learned that a hotel valet employee said he entered the coded valet room about 3:15 a.m. to find 11 valet keys stolen.

Officers noted there was no forced entry to the room, according to the report. An employee told police that valets lock the car doors when they park them and officers found all the car doors unlocked as well as the front passenger areas in some of the cars disturbed.

Officers found the keys in a pile between two of the vehicles.

Hotel management contacted the registered owners and some reported items stolen from their vehicles, but the report did not list any of that information in detail, according to the report. One owner reported a handgun was missing from his glove box.

HORRY COUNTY

Police seek burglar’s identity

Horry County police are searching for information about 25 vehicle break-ins in the Socastee area and released a surveillance photo of the suspect, Sgt. Robert Kegler said Wednesday.

Detectives began an investigation on July 26 after a report of about 25 vehicle break-ins in the Socastee area, but Kegler did not say which areas specifically were targeted. In one of the incidents, the suspect was captured on surveillance camera and officials released that photo Wednesday.

The suspect appears to have tattoos on both arms and a large tattoo on the right side of his neck, Kegler said. Detectives are looking for anyone who may recognize the suspect and can provide more information about the person.

Anyone with information about the identity of the suspect can call Horry County police at 915-5350 or to remain anonymous call 915-TIPS.

Local

MYRTLE BEACH

Economic development group wins award

An Atlanta-based regional economic development association presented the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corp. with the “Award of Superior.”

The Southern Economic Development Council gave the EDC the award at the SEDC’s annual meeting at the Marriott Grande Dunes.

SEDC held its annual conference Sunday through Tuesday in Myrtle Beach.

Each year SEDC members are encouraged to submit innovative marketing materials for awards, Candace Howell, the Myrtle Beach EDC’s director of marketing & membership, said in a news release. Earlier this year, the EDC submitted a brochure, marketing the area’s aviation industry and assets, Howell said. The brochure focused on ITAP, the International Technology and Aerospace Park.

The brochure -which focused on the seven reasons why ITAP is the perfect location for an aviation-related business to relocate or open in Horry County - won the “Award of Superior” for the Special Purpose Brochure – Large Division, Howell said.

“We are so excited to win this award for the ITAP marketing piece,” EDC’s president and CEO Brad Lofton said in the news release.

From staff reports