Tuesday, Feb. 09, 2010

The Carolinas | Last week's rainfall swells waterways

South Carolina

COLUMBIA

Last week's rainfall swells waterways

Last week's heavy rainfall in the Upstate and North Carolina pulsed through the Midlands' rivers Monday, inundating riverfront trails in the Columbia area and prompting the closing of a public boat ramp near Camden.

Lake Wateree peaked over the weekend high enough that water reached some low-lying houses, but the lake began dropping Monday.

The lake neared 103 feet over the weekend and has been above 102 feet six of the past 14 days. The Wateree Dam has no floodgates to help prevent such flooding, and it happens periodically. But floods on the lake have been rare in the past few years because of the lingering drought.

"I think the drought is over," said Gary Faulkenberry, who lives along Lake Wateree. "Some of my neighbors were surrounded by water during the weekend."

While floods in the 103-foot range aren't life-threatening, homeowners on low-lying property have to move belongings out of basements or from under raised houses, Faulkenberry said.

On the Wateree River a couple of miles downstream from the lake, the S.C. Department of Natural Resources closed the public boat launch at U.S. 1. The river was flowing high enough Monday to make parking and launching boats unsafe.

Most of the Midlands rivers peaked Monday and will be back below flood levels Wednesday or Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

SPARTANBURG

Inmate caught swimming back in prison

S.C. prison officials have returned an inmate back to state custody after a television station obtained pictures of him swimming and working unsupervised while he was a trusty at a county jail.

WSPA-TV reports that 61-year-old George Wise was sent to the Chester County jail to serve some of his 12-year prison sentence for felony driving under the influence in a 2003 crash that killed a Columbia woman.

While in jail, the former auditor helped the city of Chester with its finances.

But the TV station found Wise wasn't supervised as required by state prison rules while working at City Hall. He also took a dip in a city swimming pool while helping cook for a Chester event.

Officials sent Wise back to a state prison in January.

WEST COLUMBIA

Man killed with butcher knife

Investigators are trying to figure out who killed an S.C. man with a butcher knife in his home.

Lexington County Sheriff James Metts says 41-year-old William Adams was found dead in a pool of blood on the porch of his West Columbia house around 3:30 a.m. Sunday.

Investigators say Adams was stabbed in the abdomen with a butcher knife.

Coroner Harry Harman says Adams' aorta was cut and he bled to death.

Deputies say they don't have a motive or any suspects in the killing.

North Carolina

LINCOLNTON

Charges dropped against sheriff

Prosecutors have dropped the charges against an N.C. sheriff who was accused of being involved in sidetracking an impaired driving arrest of a local doctor.

Multiple media outlets reported that prosecutors told the judge Monday they needed more time to prepare their case against Lincoln County Sheriff Tim Daugherty.

He had been charged with two felony counts of obstruction of justice and a misdemeanor count of making a false report to another officer.

The judge refused to delay the case, so they dropped the charges.

The State Bureau of Investigation reported Daugherty gave conflicting statements and evidence about learning his former chief deputy helped a local doctor avoid a DWI charge in 2007.

The former chief deputy was convicted of misdemeanor obstruction of justice and fired.

RALEIGH

Powerball winner wants time with wife

Retired Asheville Fire Department employee Frank Griffin is $47 million richer, but he has few grand plans for the money. He mainly wants to spend more time with his wife.

"I may get us a new house later, but I really want to spend more time with her and my grandchildren," Griffin said Monday at a news conference where he was introduced as the sole winner of the $141 million Powerball lottery jackpot.

Griffin choose the $69 million cash over the $141 million annuity.

That equals about $47 million after state and federal taxes are paid, said Tom Shaheen, executive director of the N.C. Education Lottery.

Griffin, 66, said he had $5 left over after buying gas Saturday so he bought five tickets, letting the machine choose his numbers, and he was unaware of the total jackpot.

At 8:30 a.m. Sunday, Griffin woke up his wife, 65-year-old Loretta, with the news that he thought they had won the lottery.

He returned to store to make sure the ticket was legitimate.

He plans to use the money to take care of his family and to travel with his wife to Hawaii. He also plans to play more golf and to help his church, Crossroads Assembly in Asheville.