The Times and Democrat from Orangeburg, South Carolina • 12

Page 2B, Orangeburg, S.C., Thursday, April 4, 1996 StateLocal etnucrat I Man charged with victimizing tourists McKenna Stroman, 65, of Denmark, died Wednesday at Bam By THOMAS GRANT JR. Staff Writer Quick work by sheriffs deputies and bloodhounds led to the arrest Tuesday of a man who allegedly robbed three West Virginia tourists in their motel room on U.S. Highway 601 and Interstate 26. Sheriff CR. Smith Jr.

said Wednesday the suspect, tentatively identified as Derrick Jackson, 25, was apprehended in a wooded area behind the Speedway convenience store, where he allegedly fled an hour after the robbery of tourists in a room at Carolina Lodge. According to Smith, the incident started at 4:12 p.m. when one of the victims, an 83-year-old woman, forced an intruder out of her room after he walked through the open door. The man followed another woman staying at the room, shoving his way back inside. He forced the women to lie on the bed, claiming to have a weapon in his possession and threatening to kill them.

As the women sat on the bed, the man searched through their pocketbooks and stole money. He forced the women into the bathroom. He searched the room for more valuable items. One of the victims witnessed the man grab her car keys and try to steal the vehicle parked outside. The woman ran out of the room and to the main office to report the robbery.

This was noticed by a person who witnessed a man try to steal the vehicle and was able to chase him across the highway. Deputies who were in the vicinity of the motel obtained a description from witnesses and began to search the wooded area for the man. With the aid of bloodhounds, Jackson was captured and most of the money and car keys recovered. Smith said they have yet to confirm Jackson's name or address and have sent his fingerprints to the FBI. He remained at the Orangeburg-Calhoun Regional Detention Center on Wednesday without bond.

Also on Tuesday, deputies arrested Stanley Fogle, 34, 1691 Irvin on charges of possession of cocaine and possession with intent to distribute craek cocaine. Fogle was caught on Lincoln Street by members of the Violent Crimes Task Force, who were in the area looking for a suspect in another case. He was seen acting suspicious and found in possession of cocaine and crack cocaine. Fogle was transported to the Orangeburg-Calhoun Regional Detention Center on a $25,000 surety bond Meanwhile, detectives are looking into incidents of car larceny that occurred Tuesday. A white, 1994 Nissan Maxima was reported stolen from the parking lot of Burg Cadillac on U.S.

Highway 601. There was no evidence of forced entry and detectives arrived at the scene to process fingerprints. In Cope, a 1991 Dodge Caravan station wagon, was stolen from a Banning Street yard. The tag number of the vehicle is DBA-423. Orangeburg Department of Public Safety A $100,000 surety bond was set Tuesday on the Orangeburg man accused of stabbing his girlfriend's brother.

Robert Green of 552 Shuler St. was charged with assault and battery with intent to kill following his arrest March 31 by city police. Green allegedly stabbed Henry Boneparte, 26, 252 Broad once in his left chest with a knife, which also slightly pierced his heart, after an argument Boneparte had with his sister, Green's girlfriend. He remained in critical condition on Wednesday. Municipal Judge Ronald Salley also set a $7,500 personal recognizance bond on an Orangeburg man who surrendered to authorities following his "appearance" on "Orangeburg Most Wanted" on Time Warner Cable.

Sherwood Adams, 26, 279 Stacey Bridge Road, was wanted on three counts of forgery for allegedly purchasing car stereo equipment and a cellular telephone using his girlfriend's mother's name last November. Meanwhile, more than 20 public safety officers responded to a fire alarm Tuesday night at the Amoco Food Shop at 1310 Boulevard St. Capt. J.E. Myers said two fire trucks and the aerial ladder truck arrived at the scene to extinguish the fire, which was confined to a storage room.

The cause of the fire was undetermined, Myers said. Wilson W. Brown W. Brown, 81, of 142 Brown Luke iRoad, Harleyville, died Wednesday at the MUSC Medical Center in Charleston. Funeral plans will be announced by Eutawville Community Funeral Home of Eutawville.

Mrs. Martha A. Fields ST. MATTHEWS, S.C. Mrs.

Martha A. Fields, 49, of Route 2, Box 207, St. Matthews, died Wednesday at her residence after a brief illness. Funeral plans will be announced by Carson's Funeral Home of St. Matthews.

Friends may call at the residence and at the funeral home. Mrs. Cynthia W. Haddon TAMPA, Fla. Mrs.

Cynthia Williams Haddon, 36, of 11th Tampa, diet March 29 at Tampa Regional Hospital after a brief illness. The funeral will be held at noon Friday at New Zion Holiness Church in Sumter, S.C, with the Rev. Walter Thurmon officiating. Burial will be in Bradford Cemetery, Sumter. Pallbearers will be James Lewis Vaughn, James Earl Vaughn, Walter Pete Williams, McArthur Vaughn, Bruce Elwood Williams and William Vaughn.

Mrs. Haddon was born Sept. 23, 1959, in Sumter, a daughter of Catherine Vaughn and the late Wesley Williams. She was a graduate of Hillsboro High School in Tampa, and a graduate of Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio. Mrs.

Haddon was employed as a legal secretary and as secretary of the Sanitation Department of East Cleveland, Ohio. She was married to Walter Haddon. Survivors include two daughters, Zarina Pamela Haddon of Cleveland and Zinzila Ebony Larry of Tampa; her mother of Sumter; seven brothers, James Lewis Vaughn, James Earl Vaughn, Walter Pete Williams, Bruce Elwood Williams and William Vaughn, all of Sumter, McArthur Vaughn of New York and Alfornzo of Atlanta; and two sisters, Annette Vaughn and Mrs. Francine Spann, both of Sumter. Friends may call at the residence of her sister, Annette Vaughn, 14 W.

Patricia Drive, Sumter, and at Glover's Funeral Home of Orangeburg. Mrs. Willie C.R. Houser Mrs. Willie Carole Russell Houser, 54, of 1875 Kennedy Drive, Orangeburg, died Wednes-' day at her residence.

Funeral plans will be an-Jnounced by Newton Funeral i Home. School accountability bill post mortem begins He was born June 8, 1953, in Elloree, a son of the late Mrs. Mary Lawton Cheeseboro. He was educated in the public schools of Elloree and was a member of Shiloh AME Church in Elloree. He was employed by Farmer's Ginnery Inc.

for many years. Survivors include eight sisters, Ms. Loretta Lawton, Ms. Pauline Lawton, Ms. Shirley Lawton, Ms.

Alma Lawton and Mrs. Mary Patricia Jones, all of Elloree, Ms. Lizzie Lee Lawton of Orangeburg, and Ms. Vertell Whaley and Ms. Margaret Ann Whaley, both of Philadelphia; and two brothers, Marvin Lawton of Elloree and Howard Lawton of New York.

The family will receive friends from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Williams Funeral Home of Elloree. Friends may call at the residence and at the funeral home. Mrs. Mamie Lou Myers COLUMBIA Mrs.

Mamie Lou Myers, 78, of 1745 Morninglo Lane, Columbia, died Wednesday at Richland Memorial Hospital in Columbia. The funeral will be held at 3 p.m. Friday at Thompson Funeral Home Chapel in Orangeburg, with the Rev. Charles Bradley and the Rev. Elbert Hutto officiating.

Burial will be in Canaan Baptist Church Cemetery, Cope. Mrs. Myers was born Sept. 17, 1917, in Orangeburg County, a daughter of the late Joseph Harmon Chavis and Ellen Murphy Chavis. She was a member of Canaan Baptist Church.

She was the widow of S.B. Myers. Survivors include three daughters, Mrs. John (Henrietta) Ruger of Columbia, Mrs. Frances Todd of Orangeburg and Mrs.

Sarah Chavis of Bamberg; a son, Grady Myers of Columbia; two sisters, Mrs. Ollie Mae Garrick of Orangeburg and Mrs. Joan McClure of Winnsboro; two brothers, Johnnie Chavis of West Columbia and Simmie Chavis of Charlotte, N.C.; 14 grandchildren and 18 greatgrandchildren. The family will receive friends from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.

Friends may call at the residence of Mrs. Frances Todd, 218 Last Drive, Orangeburg, and at the funeral home. Courtney D. Nero CROSS, S.C. Courtney Del-ton Nero, 25, of 1498 Poplar Hill Drive, Cross, died Wednesday at Trident Regional Medical Center in North Charleston.

Funeral plans will be announced by Shuler-Marshall Funeral Home of Holly Hill. Friends may call at the residence and at the funeral home. Willie S. Parson Jr. SUMMERTON, S.C.

Willie S. Parson 61, of 2931 8th No.l3-E, New York, died Saturday. The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at the Move of God Cathedral Church in New York. Friends may call at Owens Funeral Home in Branchville; Isaiah Owens Funeral Service in the Harlem community of New York; at the residence in New York; and at the residence of his mother, Fannie Parson, 3 S.

4th Sum-merton. Mrs. Mae M. Stroman DENMARK, S.C. Mrs.

Mae By MONA BRECKENRIDGE Associated Press Writer COLUMBIA Election year politics and heavy lobbying helped contribute to the sudden death of the Education Accountability Act of 1996, say those involved. "In this situation, the proposal lost steam," state Rep. Tim Rogers, D-Columbia, said Wednesday. "The ability to get consensus was lost." The bill, proposed in February by state Education Superintendent Barbara Nielsen and several legislators, all but died Tuesday in a House Education subcommittee. The panel abandoned the bill's tough standards in favor of creating a study commission to determine how to measure accountability and improve schools.

"It is a failure of leadership on the part of the governor and Republican leadership in the House," Rogers said. "They're not singing out of the same hymn book (as the bill's sponsors)." Rogers and many other Democrats sided early on with the South Carolina Education Association, which mobilized against the measure when it found out teachers' jobs could be at stake. Rep. Bobby Harrell, a cosponsor of the bill, said a lack of support from Gov. David Beasley and GOP House leaders was not to blame for the bill's sudden demise.

"Special interest groups clearly had an effect on what happened," said Harrell, R-Charleston. And in an election year, heavily lobbied legislators probably thought twice about endorsing the bill, he said. But, he also said, "If all we do is form a committee, there will be no academic standards in place for proba bly three years." The original measure would have set test score standards as goals for all schools and tied grants from a special pool of money to meeting those goals. Principals at schools that did not make progress for three straight years could be replaced and teachers could find their contracts were not renewed. The education association, the Palmetto State Teachers Association, the South Carolina Association of School Administrators and the South Carolina School Boards Association opposed parts of the bill including its consequences.

The groups proposed a compromise bill last week that appeared to have the subcommittee's support, but Tuesday's action removed the measure's teeth in favor of the study commission that would report back to lawmakers Feb. 1. "Everybody's disappointed because the groups had worked, we had worked. At least we thought we had consensus," Nielsen said. "By and large, the coalition had made their changes.

Everybody was just kind of surprised." The superintendent said she wasn't told until after the meeting that the bill had been amended. "I just sensed there was a great deal of said Rep. Mike Jaskwhich, R-Greenville, who heads the subcommittee. Members determined early Tuesday they did not have the votes necessary to pass the bill and backed off, he said. "We've begun a very constructive dialogue," said Jaskwhich, who promised that any bill approved from now on would be "committed to accountability." Harrell vowed to push for another accountability bill next year.

"Well be back. Academic standards are so important we have to put them in place," he said. berg County Memorial Hospital after an extended illness. The funeral will be held at 3 p.m Friday at First Baptist Church of Denmark, with the Rev. Andy Hunter officiating.

Burial will be in Denmark Cemetery. Pallbearers will be grandsons and nephews. Mrs. Stroman was born July 9, 1930, in Denmark, a daughter of the late Harry C. McKenna and Mae Dennis McKenna.

She was a member of the First Baptist Church and was retired from the Sunbeam Appliance Corp. Survivors include her husband, Myers Stroman of Denmark; two daughters, Mrs. Phillip (Jackie) Sandifer of Blackville and Mrs. Russell (Yvonne) Bozard of Orangeburg; a son, Harry A. Hutto Jr.

of Havelock, N.C.; four stepdaughters, Mrs. Richard (Martha) Neyhart of Orangeburg, Annette Hearn of Columbia, Sadie Kopchap Coffman of Jacksonville, N.C. and Catherine Walling of Al-tavista, two stepsons, Jack Stroman of Midland Park, N.J., and Richard Stroman of Wynantskill, N.Y.; a twin sister, Mrs. Alvin (Mary) Palmer of Irmo; three brothers, Frank McKenna and Jack McKenna, both of Charleston, and Charles McKenna of Denmark; two grandsons and a great-granddaughter. Visitation will be held from 7 to 9 p.m.

Thursday at Mercer Funeral Home. Friends may call at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Russell Bozard, 935 Bonnette Road, Cope; Mr. and Mrs.

Richard Neyhart, 1590 Brentwood Drive, Orangeburg; and at Mercer Funeral Home of Denmark. Mrs. Qunnie Stukes MIAMI Mrs. Qunnie Stukes, 76, of 6117 S.W. 63 Terrace, Miami, died Monday in Miami.

Funeral plans will be announced by Eutawville Community Funeral Home of Eutawville, S.C Mrs. Hester C. Thompson WASHINGTON, D.C. Mrs. Hester Carmichael Thompson, 86, of 853 20th St.

NE, Washington, D.C, died March 28. The funeral will be held at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Samaria Baptist Church, with the Rev. Monroe Bush Jr. officiating.

Burial will be in the church cemetery. Pallbearers will be trustees and male ushers. Mrs. Thompson was born Sept. 15, 1909, a daughter of the late Luchious Carmichael and Emma Jones Carmichael.

She attended the public schools of Orangeburg County. She was a member of Samaria Baptist Church, served as an usher for 15 years, and was a member of Union Progress Society No. 428. Survivors include a daughter, Emma pean Long of Washington, D.C; a son, Robert Thompson Jr. of Washington, D.C; nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Ful-mer's Funeral Home of Springfield. Friends may call at the residence of Mrs. Viola Thompson, McKinley Road, Springfield; and at the residence of Ms. Emma L.

Kelly, 1081 Springfield Road, Springfield. 30 days in jail on a first offense, while a second offense would bring a two-year penalty under a measure approved by a Senate Judiciary subcommittee. Current law brings the two-year penalty on the first offense. The bill goes to the Senate Judiciary Committee. LEWD CRIME: Anyone charged with committing a lewd act on a minor could not avoid trial by going through pretrial intervention under a measure that passed a Senate Judiciary subcommittee.

The bill goes to the Senate Judiciary Committee. JUVENILE CRIME: Juveniles could lose their driving privileges if they are convicted of certain crimes or other offenses under a measure that passed a Senate Judiciary subcommittee. A youth convicted of a crime could be prohibited from driving until he or she turned 18, while a youth convicted of a status offense, such as missing school, could not get a license until he or she was 17. The bill goes to the Senate Judiciary Committee. ENVIRONMENT: A group of legislators and community leaders announced a proposal for "bad boy" legislation that would force the state health department to bar from South Carolina any companies known to pollute the environment The group criticized the Department of Health and Environmental Control's record and said it will push for more openness in the agency, for state funding so citizens can get better information on companies' environmental records, and for a requirement that all companies post a cash bond sufficient to cover any cleanup costs for potential environmental damage.

George Arthur "Captain Georgia Boy" Lawton ELLOREE, S.C. The funeral for George Arthur "Captain Georgia Boy" Lawton, 42, of 751 Haigler Elloree, will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at St. Paul Baptist Church in Elloree, with the Rev. Joseph Ham officiating.

Burial will be in Browning Branch Cemetery, Elloree. Pallbearers will be Art Brantley, Darryl Green, Mark Adams, Matthew Johnson, George Parker and Michael Brantley. Mr. Lawton died Saturday. South Carolina General Assem- bly action Wednesday: SPEED LEVITTS: The speed limit on South Carolina's inter-states and other major highways could go up to 70 mph under a bill given key approval in the House.

While the Transportation Department could set the limits as it wished, officials there have already endorsed guidelines that would put a 70 mph limit on most interstate highways. After a routine final vote, the bill goes to the Senate. SAME-SEX MARRIAGES: A- In Loving Memory Of TERRY TYRONE CHERRY who departed this life on March 28, 1996 Deep In our hearts your memory is kept, to love and to cherish and never forget. Memories are treasures no one can steal, death leaves a wound no one can heal. God sent His Angels and took you away, please Dear Cod, tell him we love and miss him more each day.

Sadly Missed And Loved By, Madeca and Friends School board Continued from Page 1 A native of Springfield, James graduated from the local high school and received an associate degree in accounting from Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College. He is a radiological control inspector at the Savannah River Site. James is a trustee at Oakey DEATH PENALTY: Killing a witness or a potential witness in a criminal trial would be an aggravating circumstance that could lead to the death penalty, a Senate Judiciary subcommittee decided. The measure now goes to the full Judiciary Committee. CHILDREN'S CODE: The House approved "The Children's Code Reform Act of 1996," which rewrites many of the state's laws dealing with foster care.

The bill would impose a stricter standard for removing children from their home, require new procedures for dealing with a child removed from the home and set deadlines for the Department of Social Services to declare whether abuse or neglect has occurred. It also would require a hearing for a child who has been in foster care for a year to determine where the child should go permanently. After a routine final approval in the House, the measure will go to the Senate. GREENVILLE SCHOOLS: The House approved and sent to the governor a resolution asking Greenville County voters whether to divide the county's school district If voters said yes, school officials and the Greenville legislative delegation would then develop a plan to split the school district. The plan would be submitted to county voters in 1998.

COASTAL INSURANCE: With the aim of keeping insurance companies in South Carolina, a Senate Banking and Insurance subcommittee approved a bill to alter the way homes and businesses are insured for hurricanes and wind damage. The measure would give insurers flexibility so they hopefuls active Springs Baptist Church and is a member of the Masons. Also, as a member of the S.C School Boards Association for three years, James says he has "reached a higher level every year." He and his wife have two young children. Born in Maryland and reared in Columbia, Goff has been a resident of Springfield for 16 years. A graduate of the local high school, he attended Orangeburg-Calhoun Tech- could charge more for such insurance, though supporters say the rates will still be less than those charged by a state-created association that provides wind damage insurance.

The increased market would lessen the reliance on the state-created association, which levies assessments on all insurers to cover damage from hurricanes. The assessments after Hurricane Hugo in 1989 have caused many insurers to stop doing business in South Carolina, the state Insurance Department said. Forty insurance companies have stopped doing business in South Carolina since Hugo, many because of the potential for new fees from future storms, the agency said. SKATING IMMUNITY: Roller skaters could not sue owners and operators of rinks over injuries or death under a bill approved by the House and sent to the governor. The measure would not ban lawsuits alleging negligence.

EMPLOYER IMMUNITY: Employers would be immune from lawsuits for responding to requests for references under a bill approved by the House and sent to the governor. The immunity would not apply if the employer "knowingly or recklessly" provided false information. QUOTE OF THE DAY- "It's legalized bigotry. It's legalized prejudice. It's legalized discrimination.

I thought we had anti-discrimination laws, and we do, until you get down to the phrase sexual orientation." The Rev. Patricia Voelker of the Metropolitan Community Church in Columbia, who is a lesbian, on a bill banning same-sex marriages. in community nical College. Before operating his own local business, a convenience store, he was employed at the Savannah River Site. He also does bookkeeping.

Goff was the president of the PTO at Neeses Primary School and he's a member of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church. Also, he helps with the Springfield Volunteer Fire Department and rescue squad. He and his wife have two daughters. Woman files suit after assault by highway trooper By The Associated Press COLUMBIA A woman who was dragged from her car and assaulted at gunpoint by a Highway Patrol trooper during a traffic stop while the incident was recorded by a video camera in the trooper's car has sued the state. Sandra A.

Antor of Miami did not specify monetary damages in the Circuit Court lawsuit filed Tuesday in Clarendon County, where she was stopped along Interstate 95. Antor, 26, claims negligence by Lance Cpl. W.H. Beckwith, who pulled his gun, dragged her from her car and shouted obscenities after he had pursued her for several minutes for speeding. Beckwith was fired about six weeks later, after state officials saw the tape of the Jan.

8 arrest and investigated. Beckwith is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, which names only the Public Safety Department Antor's lawsuit also says the department was negligent in training and supervising Beckwith, an 11-year veteran, and it says his actions caused her emotional distress. The trooper was driving an unmarked car with his blue lights flashing. Antor, who was traveling alone, said she was afraid to pull over because officials in her home state of Florida had warned motorists about unmarked cars with blue lights driven by robbers impersonating police officers. The House General Laws Subcommittee agreed to prohibit same-sex marriages in South Carolina.

The bill would declare any same-sex marriage "void ab initio," meaning void from the start. The measure now goes to the House Judiciary Committee. A similar bill is pending in a Senate subcommittee. FELONS EN OFFICE: Anyone convicted of a felony or certain election law violations would be barred for 15 years from election to public office in South Carolina under a measure approved by a Senate Judiciary subcommittee. A person could run for office 15 years after any sentence was completed or after a pardon.

A similar measure has passed the House. The bill now goes to the Senate Judiciary Committee. CRIME: Enticing a minor to miss school would be punishable by The family of the late RACHEL GLOVER SNELLand WILLIE SNELL, SR. acknowledges all the kindness shown to them during their time of bereavement. Much heartfelt thanks goes out to all our friends and neighbors.

A Special thanks is extended to the doctors and nurses on 4 West of The Regional Medical Center. We thank all of you. The Snell Children.