Latest South Carolina news, sports, business and entertainment

SUMTER HOMICIDE

Sumter teen missing for a month is found dead

SUMTER, S.C. (AP) — Investigators say the remains of an 18-year-old man last seen leaving a library in Sumter have been found on the side of a highway.

Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis said a pathologist confirmed Friday that the bones found by a man collecting cans two days before were Aaron Abraham.

Authorities say Abraham was last seen on security camera footage leaving the Sumter County Library on July 19 as it closed. He appeared to be alone.

Abraham’s body was found Wednesday in a ditch off state Highway 261 near Wedgefield.

Investigators say they don’t have and suspects or a motive for the killing.

FAKE DOCTOR

Deputies: Man pretended to be doctor for 6 months

LEXINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Lexington County deputies say an Austell, Ga., man spent six months pretending to be a doctor at five senior citizen facilities around Columbia.

Authorities think 48-year-old Ernest Addo may have seen up to 500 patients at five different facilities ran by Agape Senior Primary Care since February.

Deputies say Addo use documents owned by a friend who is an Orangeburg doctor to get the company to hire him. The investigation began Wednesday after the doctor reported Addo had opened credit cards in his name.

Investigators aren’t sure if Addo had any medical training and are checking to see what treatment patients received.

Addo is charged with unlawfully practicing medicine. It wasn’t clear if he had a lawyer.

Agape issued a statement saying Addo appeared to have all the necessary credentials.

GOVERNOR’S OFFICE-SALARIES

Gov. Haley’s staff gets $27,000 worth of raises

(Information in the following story is from: The Post and Courier, http://www.postandcourier.com)

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has given $29,000 in raises to her staff.

Haley’s spokesman Rob Godfrey told The Post and Courier of Charleston that the total compensation for Haley’s staff went down 9 percent because job responsibilities shifted and one position hasn’t been filled.

Godfrey will get an extra $7,000. Deputy Chief of Staff Ted Pitts will get a $12,000 raise, while budget manager Josh Baker and legislative liaison Katherine Veldran each received a $5,000 pay bump.

Christian Soura, who initially made $1 a year as the governor’s special assistant, is now making $122,000 after taking over as deputy chief of staff.

Agencies can only carry forward 10 percent of unused money, so if Haley hadn’t given the raises, the money would have returned to the general budget.

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Information from: The Post and Courier, http://www.postandcourier.com

LAWMAKER ARRESTED-ETHICS

SC legislator to go to court in tax evasion case

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A suspended South Carolina legislator who faces no opposition for re-election is heading to trial on tax evasion charges.

Rep. Harold Mitchell’s court date is set for Nov. 26 in Spartanburg. State revenue officials claim he didn’t file income taxes for 2005 through 2008 until he filed delinquent returns, and under-reported his income, in 2009. His lawyer says Mitchell thought he didn’t earn enough to file.

The Spartanburg Democrat also faces investigation by the House Ethics Committee for possible ethics violations stemming from the prosecution’s review.

Mitchell has taken the rare step of waiving his confidentiality rights to make his ethics case public. State law otherwise bars any mention of it unless the committee finds probable cause violations occurred.

Attorney Bruce Byrholdt says his client has nothing to hide.

DAM PREPARATIONS

SC wants owners to check dams before Isaac rains

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina environmental officials are asking dam owners and operators across the state to check the structures and begin lowering water levels if necessary.

The Department of Health and Environmental Control says heavy rains possible from Tropical Storm Isaac after it moved inland next week could stress out dams already dealing with recent rains.

The National Weather Service says up to 5 inches of rain could fall across South Carolina, with up to 8 inches possible in the Upstate.

DHEC is also asking dam owners and operators to clean trash and debris from spillways.

If heavy rains come, officials also ask people to keep a close eye on their dams in case they show signs of failing.