The State from Columbia, South Carolina • 14

2-B The S.C., Wednesday, Nov. 1, 1989 METRO REPORT Richland Lexington Assault convict commits suicide in Richland jail An assault convict was found hanging in his cell at Central Correctional Institution Tuesday. Melvin Kearse, 30, was found hanging from a bedsheet tied to a ceiling pipe, state Department of Corrections spokesman Francis X. Archibald said. A corrections officer making a routine check found Kearse about 12:15 a.m.

Richland County Coroner Frank Barron said an autopsy indicated the death was a suicide. Kearse was serving the seventh year of a 25-year sentence for assault and battery with intent to kill and arson in Bamberg County. He would have been eligible for parole in 1991. Columbia mayor honored for distinguished services Columbia Mayor T. Patton Adams received the Award for Distinguished Service Monday during the awards luncheon of the Association of the U.S.

Army. Adams is the third South Carolinian to receive the award. Sen. Strom Thurmond and J. Willis Cantey are previous recipients from South Carolina.

The association honored Adams for his "selfless service to his city and nation." Also, he was recognized as being the prime mover in Adams establishing a memorial park to honor the nation's service members. The Vietnam Memorial was erected to honor the soldiers who lost their lives during the Vietnam War. Adams, mayor of Columbia since 1986, has served as a civilian aide to the secretary of the Army since May 1986 and a corporate member of the association. He has served as director of the Columbia Development Corp. and a member of the Central Midlands Regional Planning Commission.

High school students get chance to win free trip South Carolina high school students will have a shot at winning an all-expense paid trip to the International Science Symposium in London, by submitting reports on scientific or mathematical topics to the S.C. Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Research Office and the University of South Carolina, the symposium will be held Monday and Tuesday at USC. Five winners will be selected from the competition to present their papers during the symposium and receive an all-expense paid trip to the national competition May 17-20 at the University of Alabama.

The conference is one of 46 high school symposiums nationwide promoting study in natural sciences and mathematics at the high school level. EPA to hold talk at park on Bluff Road waste site Environmental Protection Agency officials and a team of environmental specialists will be available at Hopkins Park from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday to answer questions on the the status of the Bluff Road hazardous waste site. The informal session is to allow residents to question officials about the results of a remedial investigation and efforts to clean up groundwater and soil contaminants at the site. Documents and diagrams relating to the site will be on display.

Mall settles suit over teen's death in chase Attorneys say decision not admission of guilt By WARREN BOLTON Staff Writer Public concern about high-speed chases swayed Woodhill Mall attorneys to settle a lawsuit over the 1987 death of a teenager. But they say the move is not an admission of guilt. The undisclosed settlement was reached Thursday several hours into jury deliberation. Family members were seeking damages in the death of Susan Redd, 16, who was killed when a shoplifter's car collided with hers on Garners Ferry Road as he was being chased by a mall security guard. The decision to settle was made a week after an 86-year-old woman who was standing in her yard in Horry County was killed when a highway patrolman lost control of his car.

The trooper was chasing a speeder around a curve when his car flipped into a ditch in front of the elderly woman's home, pinning her body under the vehicle. "This was an emotionally charged circumstance with very high sympathetic value. The general public is up in arms about high-speed chases," mall attorney Edwin Martin said. "What you have is strong public sentiment against high-speed chases coupled with the death of a very beautiful young woman," Martin said of Ms. Redd's death.

The recent death of the Horry County woman added to the public upheaval, he said. Martin said Woodhill Mall officials felt the case warranted a compromise settlement. But they agreed "without any admission of liability" on the mall's part, he said. "It was our position then and now that we presented very clear and convincing evidence that that was not a high-speed chase on Garners Ferry Road," Martin said. The security guard "exercised good judgment of breaking off pursuit before he got on to public property," he said.

In June 1988, Jerry Wheeles, stepfather of Ms. Redd and administrator of her estate, filed suit seeking $5 million in damages for the death of his daughter. The accident occurred May 15, 1987, after Joseph Benson had shoplifted three cordless telephones from Gold Circle and was being chased by a mall security guard. Benson was convicted in November of reckless homicide and shoplifting and was sentenced to seven years in prison. Joe The State Lexington County firefighters hose down tankers that collided on I-26 near U.S.

21 near Gaston Two tanker trucks collide on I-26, igniting Two tanker trucks collided on In- The impact terstate 26 in Lexington County Tues- tank on the second day night, rupturing a diesel tank and fire and spilling igniting a fire, authorities said. Smith said. The accident occurred about 10 p.m. in the westbound lane near U.S. The fire was 21 at Gaston when the tanker of the but traffic was first rig became detached and the mile as about 25 second truck rammed it from behind, Gaston, Sandy Trooper Steve Smith of the Highway fire departments Patrol said.

road. S.C. cultural life By JEFFREY DAY Staff Writer The committee responsible for keeping tabs on cultural life in South Carolina has gotten an update on Hugo's harmful effects on the arts, and the news isn't good. At a meeting Monday of the Joint Legislative Committee on Cultural Affairs, several organizations outlined what they've been able to learn about the storm's longand short-term effects on cultural groups. One of the most extensive reports came from the S.C.

Department of Archives and History, which has done extensive research on historic buildings that were damaged. "The immediate news after the storm gave us real pause about what we would find in Charleston and other places," the department director, George Vogt, said. Some of the most severe damage was outside the Charleston area, Vogt said, in Berkeley County and the towns of Sumter and McClellanville. Several of the buildings most badly damaged were in poor condition already, and many were not insured, he added. The agency estimates that 25 buildings on the National Registry of Historic Places were destroyed.

Among the destroyed structures was a stable at Middleburg. The house there, which dates from 1699 and may be the oldest frame house in the state, was also damaged. Three Charleston warehouses on Hayne Street, built around 1855, were destroyed. The Roper Hospital in Charleston suffered extensive damage and will be demolished. A rice barn on the Exchange Plantation in George- ruptured the diesel The two trucks, owned by Santee tanker, igniting a Carriers of Holly Hill, were loaded fuel on the roadway, with powdered concrete when the accident occurred near the 119-mile marker, Smith said.

The rig became quickly extinguished, detached because a pin on the first snarled for about a tanker was not locked into place, he firefighters from the said. Run and Oak Grove spread foam on the Smith said the second truck was traveling about 60 mph when the col- shaken badly "The money is just not coming in at all." Suzette Surkamer, S.C. Arts Commission town was destroyed, as were several cottages in the Summerville historic district. Markers in old cemeteries around the state were also damaged by fallen trees. The Department of Archives and History has awarded about $100,000 in repair grants to about 45 sites.

Most of the money is being used to construct temporary roofs. The emergency fund from which that money was drawn may be replaced by the National Park Service, Vogt said. There also were these updates: Isabel Hill, director of the S.C. Film Office, said the state lost three major movie projects because of the storm. The projects would have brought about $6 million to South Carolina.

A survey showed that of 62 arts agencies contacted in the disaster areas, 49 had suffered damage to their facilities, said Suzette Surkamer, deputy director of the S.C. Arts Commission. Worse than the physical damage has been the cancellation of performances, and that will result in lost revenues, Ms. Surkamer said. Several groups also dropped planned funding drives.

"The money is just not coming in at all," she said. Ms. Surkamer said the commission has applied for a $100,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to be distributed to groups around the state. Investigators enlist media in missing girl search By STEVE SMITH Staff Writer Lexington sheriff's investigators and the family of Jessica Gutierrez are turning to a reward fund and a media blitz in hopes of developing information on the missing girl's whereabouts. The Adam Walsh Child Resource Center and the S.C.

Victim Assistance Program announced Tuesday that they have established a reward fund, called "Bring Jessie Home," for information on the girl's whereabouts. The girl, who will be 8 on Dec. 3, was taken June 5, 1986, from her bed in a mobile home in the Edmund community of Lexington County. Sherie Carney, the program's executive director, said the reward fund began at $2,500, but pledges were coming in from "several generous corporations" and individuals throughout the day Tuesday. A total had not been determined late Tuesday afternoon, she said.

Donations to the fund may be made by checks through Margaret E. Collins, executive director of the Adam Walsh Child Resource Center, 1632 Hampton Suite 201, Columbia, S.C. 29201. The Wheeles' attorneys, David Fedor and David Massey, claimed in the lawsuit that the mall security guard "recklessly raced through the parking lot at Woodhill Mall, ran stop signs and entered Garners Ferry Road at a high rate of speed." The jury in the Redd case had deliberated for four hours before the two sides in the case reached a settlement, Fedor said. A condition of the case was that "the amount could not be revealed," he said.

Fedor said Monday this is the last that will be heard of the Redd case but that it won't be the last word on high-speed chases through busy streets. "I wish I could say this was the last of hot pursuit. I don't know why in the world they don't stop this hot Neither Wheeles nor other family members could be reached for comment. Fairfield officers are sued Father claims wrongful death in son's shooting By DAVE MONIZ Staff Writer The father of Samuel Owens, whose death at the hands of Fairfield County sheriff's deputies brought protests from county blacks, has filed a wrongful death suit in federal court. The suit, filed by Henry Owens in U.S.

District Court in Columbia on Monday, names five Sheriff's Department employees as defendants. Named are investigator Keith Lewis, investigator James E. Kitchens, supervisor Robert E. Ashford, Lt. James McConnell and Sheriff Leroy I.

"Bubba" Montgomery. Owens, 25, was shot by Lewis on Jan. 5 in Winnsboro as he rushed the officer while holding an ax. A chronic gasoline sniffer, the younger Owens had been arrested at least eight times and had been treated by the state Department of Mental Health "40 to 50 times" according to his mother. The family had called the Sheriff's Department the night of his death as Owens acted wildly after climbing a tree near his home.

He reportedly was high on gasoline fumes. As police attempted to coax him from the tree, Owens reportedly rushed them. He was shot twice and died as relatives and neighbors looked on. Relatives contended police acted impulsively in shooting him, then handcuffed him and dragged him to an ambulance as he bled to death. fire lision occurred.

Its driver, Jay B. Vinson, 51, of Calera, suffered a bruised shoulder, he said. The driver of the other truck, Donald McDaniel, 40, of Lake View was not injured. No charges have been filed, he said. STEVE SMITH by Hugo George Vogt Owens' death prompted protest marches and calls for an investigation, and the State Law Enforcement Division later released a report that found no wrongdoing in the Sheriff's Department's handling of the situation.

William Gary White III, one of three attorneys representing Henry Owens, said Tuesday that authorities erred by not contacting local mental health officials before Owens was shot. "The Sheriff's Department avoided contacting the mental health people," White said. "They knew a confrontation was likely and when the confrontation came they shot him," he said. "We think the officer just panicked. You can be wrong without being a criminal," he said.

The lawsuit lists several charges against the defendants, including false arrest, conspiracy, negligence and a violation of Owens' civil rights. The lawsuit also says the defendants demonstrated a past pattern of such behavior. "We suspect that at this point in time. We have to get into the discovery phase to support that allegation," White said. "The chief problem we found is it appears the mental health center was open that night.

There isn't in Fairfield County a developed policy of how to deal with people who are mentally ill." checks should include Jessica's name. campaign and reward fund are not "last Television and radio spots about the case also "Nothing is over until it's over, and this isn't will be aired. The public service announcements over," he said. were produced by John Walsh, founder of the In June, however, Jessica's mother, Debra GuAdam Walsh Child Resource Center, the non-profit tierrez Garnsey, said a family friend may have organization named for Walsh's son. Adam Walsh kidnapped Jessica.

She said she found fibers in an was kidnapped and murdered in Florida in 1981. abandoned car that were linked to her daughter. Also, Sheriff James Metts said the television The car had been connected to a 27-year-old friend show "Unsolved Mysteries" has expressed interest from West Columbia who was in a North Carolina in the Gutierrez disappearance, but producers prison on a rape conviction, she said. have not planned to re-enact her kidnapping for a In 1987, he told a fellow inmate that he had program. kidnapped a girl in Lexington County and would Metts also is trying to whet the appetite of tell all he knew if he were granted immunity.

The other TV shows similar to "Unsolved Mysteries," request was denied, Mrs. Garnsey said. which recreates crimes in hopes viewers will call Mrs. Garnsey, who has moved to Walterboro, in with tips. The shows have been credited with said Tuesday she believes her daughter is alive.

leading to the several fugitives. She has begun writing a book on the ordeal in Metts said investigators have a suspect in the hopes of raising money for the reward fund. case but not enough information to make an ar- "Halloween is supposed to be a fun time for rest. He refused to name the suspect. children, but I am afraid that Jessie is scared for "I am confident that if we can get the right real," Mrs.

Garnsey said. information, we can bring charges," he said. Jessica has dark brown hair and brown eyes. Metts refused to talk about what evidence in- She also has a small scar on top of her forehead vestigators have found so far but said the media and a small brown birthmark on her left buttock. Three charged with shooting teenagers in club parking lot Two suspects in the shooting of Blazer with several men pulled up.

three Columbia teenagers turned Gunshots from the vehicle, struck themselves in to police Tuesday, the three teens. and a juvenile also was charged in the case, authorities said. Kim Eley, 17, of Cambridge Station Apartments was shot in the Tanakya L. Bell, 17, of 412 W. back and buttocks; Christopher Miriam Aaron W.

"Pep" Diamond, 18, of 2122 Apple Valley Jones, 18, of 1101 Marlboro Drive was shot in the left leg; and and a juvenile have been charged Kevin Goodwin, 17, of 225 Brookwith three counts of assault and green Drive was shot in the right battery with intent to kill. They leg. were being held in the Richland County Detention Center city an- Diamond and Goodwin were nex, pending bond hearings. treated at Richland Memorial Hospital and released. Miss Eley The victims were walking in was in good condition, a hospital the parking lot of the New Image spokeswoman said.

Club at Huger St. about 1:30 a.m. Saturday when a Chevrolet STEVE SMITH.