RICHLAND/FAIRFIELD – Two people have been arrested after a high speed chase that ended in a crash on U.S. Hwy 34.
Gregory Murphy, 36, and Raian Phillips, 29, led Richland
County deputies on a high speed chase that began in Forest Acres and ended in a
crash in Fairfield County.
On April 7, at approximately 2:30 p.m., Richland County
deputies were alerted to a 2004 Black Ford Escape on Two Notch Road that had
been reported stolen from West Columbia.
When a Richland County Sheriff’s Deputy initiated a
suspicious vehicle stop using lights and sirens, the vehicle immediately
increased to a high speed, driving recklessly towards Two Notch Road, according
to an incident report. The Ford Escape evaded stop-sticks by pulling into a
dead-end business parking lot.
The vehicle turned onto Two Notch Road and ran several red
lights before entering northbound I-77, the report stated. The vehicle then
increased to triple-digit speeds, crossing all lanes of traffic and driving on
the shoulder of the highway.
After taking Blythewood exit 24, the vehicle drove into
oncoming traffic on Wilson Boulevard/U.S. Hwy 21 several times, according to
the report. At one point, a clear bag with white contents was thrown out of the
vehicle, the report stated.
The vehicle continued on Wilson Boulevard/U.S. Highway
21/Main Street through Blythewood area toward Ridgeway. The chase eventually
turned onto to U.S. Hwy 34 west of Ridgeway and continued for several miles
before crashing into a deep embankment and then into a large pool of water
where it stopped at Mood Harrison Road.
The two passengers, Murphy and Phillips, were detained
without incident. Both had parole violation warrants, according to the report.
The 2004 Ford was confirmed stolen out of West Columbia.
Murphy was arrested for reckless driving, failure to stop
for blue lights, possession of stolen vehicle, and an outstanding warrant.
Raian was arrested for an outstanding warrant. Both passengers were transported
to a local hospital and released, then booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention
Center.
Bullet hole in the window of The Sharpe Shoppe Sunday morning. | Barbara Ball
BLYTHEWOOD – After what appeared to be a shootout between two groups of male teenagers in a parking lot on McNulty Road sometime after 1 a.m. Sunday, an eyewitness who was sitting in his car nearby told The Voice what he saw.
The Sharpe Shoppe window being replaced Sunday morning.
According to the witness, a large group of teens had gathered in the parking lot of the shopping center on McNulty Rd. The witness said he heard as many as 15-20 handgun shots.
The group broke up – some teens ran over behind the dumpsters in the parking lot of Comfort Inn, and, according to the witness, the two groups began firing another 10-15 shots toward each other.
He also witnessed a group of teenagers in the Waffle House area.
According to the witness, Richland County Sheriff’s deputies arrived within minutes of the shots. When they arrived, the teens scattered.
It was also reported that a female shooting victim with a non-life-threatening injury was located in a vehicle in the parking lot of the IGA on Blythewood Road.
According to the witness, Blythewood Road and other nearby town streets were largely cordoned off for several hours.
The eyewitness did not see any shooting at the Exxon Sharpe Shoppe, but The Voice photographed a bullet hole in the window of the convenience store the next morning. The Sharpe Shoppe re-opened about 6 a.m. Sunday.
The Voice will continue to follow this developing story.
BLYTHEWOOD – A section of Wilson Blvd/Hwy 21 will be closed three times in April to move long pieces of rail and materials across. The closed section will be on either side of Boomer Road. Detour and road closure signs will be placed prior to road closure.
Closures will occur April 13 (10 hours) and April 17-18 (36
hours).
RIDGEWAY – A pedestrian succumbed to injuries sustained in a crash on Highway 34 near Jewel Drive on Tuesday, April 1, at 2:24 p.m. according to Highway Patrol Corporal Nick Pye.
A 2008 Dodge Sedan was traveling west on Highway 34 when it
struck a pedestrian who was crossing Highway 34 north bound, Pye said.
On Wednesday morning, Fairfield County Coroner Chris Hill identified the pedestrian as Brenda Johnson, 71, of Ridgeway, SC.
According to Hill, Johnson was flown to Prisma Health
Richland Memorial when she died from her injuries.
The crash remains under investigation by the SC Highway
Patrol and the Fairfield County Coroner’s Office.
BLYTHEWOOD – Rezoning requests for three large-acre Blythewood 29016 properties will come before the Richland County Council for a public hearing on Tuesday, March 25. The first of three required votes on the rezoning will be taken at that meeting. Of the three required meetings, this March 25 meeting is the only one where the public will be allowed to speak for or against the proposed rezonings.
Commercial Zoning
Applicant DuBose Williamson is requesting the rezoning of a 14.03-acre
property at the intersection of Wilson Blvd. and Turkey Farm Road where the developer
proposes to bring commercial and retail businesses. Williamson is asking county
council to approve the rezoning from HM/RT (Homestead/Residential Transition)
to GC (General Commercial) which allows commercial and retail development on
the site.
The county’s planning staff and the planning commission both recommended
against the rezoning.
Four Blythewood residents spoke out against the rezoning at
the Feb. 3 planning commission meeting.
“The water from this particular property is going to hit
Hawkins Creek watershed,” said nearby resident Jeanette Robinson. “My property
is at the end of this watershed and every time a development is approved on
this watershed, my property gets hammered. It is being severely damaged. I have
begged this county to stop the nonsense.”
Robinson said there is a conservation easement just above
her property and that the drainage from the watershed drains through that
conservation.
“That conservation easement was put there to preserve,” she
told council members. “Richland County is not doing a good job preserving. The
county does not have sufficient infrastructure to accommodate the traffic from
this proposed development. I don’t know when the county is going to look at its
infrastructure instead of just rubberstamping everything,” Robinson said.
The Planning Commission voted 5-2 against recommending the
requested GC rezoning to council, who will hear the proposal on March 25.
100’s of Homes
Representative for the developer, consultant Brandon
Pridemore, appearing before the Richland County planning commission on Feb. 3,
requested that a 198.84-acre property at 800 Mount Valley Road combined with a
64.84 acre property at 812 Mount Valley Road be rezoned from AG (Agriculture)
to R3 (Residential 3). The developer proposes to build 600 single-family homes
on the two properties.
The 2015 Richland County Comprehensive Plan for the two
large-acre parcels at 800 and 812 Mount Valley Road designates this area as
Neighborhood (low density). The county’s planning staff concluded that these
properties should not be rezoned from AG (Agriculture) to R3 (Residential 3)
because R3 zoning is not compliant with the objectives for Neighborhood (low
density) zoning.
While the applicant conceded that the requested R3 zoning
does not comply with the comprehensive plan, he said he’s looking at the big
picture of what’s happening in that area with Scout’s arrival.
“These properties are within half a mile of Scout and we
felt this would be a good opportunity to supplement the housing needs that will
probably be coming with Scout,” Pridemore has not been clear about the number
of units per acre the developer plans to build but says it will be relatively
low density. What we’re building will be complimentary to what’s there.”
Mount Valley resident Mark Johnson and other neighbors agreed
that a lot of development and expansion is going on because of Scout.
“But a lot of us that live here don’t want that additional
traffic and neighborhoods,” Johnston said. “These two parcels are fed by dirt
roads and most homes in the area sit on 3-5 acres. We enjoy the rural, the
woods, and the animals.”
Johnson pushed back against what Pridemore said would amount
to low density development, noting that R3 zoning allows the developer to build
up to 6 homes to the acre and 1,800 homes for the entire development.
The planning commission agreed with the residents, voting
6-1 for disapproval of the proposed rezoning of both Mount Valley parcels.
To speak for or against the rezoning requests, citizens
should arrive about 15 minutes early to sign up to address council. The meeting
will be held at 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 25, in Columbia at 2020 Hampton Street,
in county council chambers.
Judge Issues Permanent Injunction Against Griffin in BW Council Lawsuit
BLYTHEWOOD – A woman who was hired by Blythewood Mayor Sloan Griffin last Nov. 7 as the Town’s Deputy Administrator, has been indicted for allegations of public corruption.
After being hired by Griffin, Tiffany Cooks resigned before
ever reporting for work after The Voice published information that she was under
criminal investigation by SLED (the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.)
Attorney General Alan Wilson announced Wednesday, March 12, 2025,
that the state grand jury had issued indictments against Cooks and Williamsburg
County Sheriff Stephen Renard Gardner. Cooks, a former elected Williamsburg County
Supervisor was indicted on the following charges:
Criminal Conspiracy, § 16-7-410: 0 – 5 years and/or fine of up to $5,000
Misconduct in Office, Common Law: 0-10 years
Offering Anything of Value to Influence Action of Public Official Ethics Act Violation, § 8-13-705: 0-10 years and/or $0-$10,000
Embezzlement, § 16-13-210: 0-10 years and a fine in the discretion of the court
Money Laundering, Value $20,000 but Less Than $100,000, § 16-9-230: 0-10 years
If convicted on all counts, Cooks could receive up to 45
years in prison.
Gardner was also indicted for Criminal Conspiracy, Misconduct
in Office, Receiving Anything of Value to Influence Action of Public Official Ethics
Act Violation, Acceptance of Rebates or Extra Compensation, and Money
Laundering.
The indictments generally allege that Cooks and Gardner conspired
a “scheme to improperly pay thousands of dollars of government funds to
Gardner for overtime pay, and avoid taxes or withholdings on the amounts paid, by
routing the government money to Gardner under the guise of checks written to a
third party,” according to the indictment.
The indictments also allege that Gardner “secretly obtain[ed]”
and Cooks “secretly provide[d] personal profit and benefit to Gardner by having
government funds, above and beyond Gardner’s legitimate salary, improperly paid
to him.”
The funds in question were part of $5.5M in ARPA (American
Rescue Plan Act) money that Williamsburg County received during COVID,
according to the prosecution.
On Friday, March 14, a Richland County Circuit Judge
released Cooks on a $100,000 personal recognizance bond, and did the same for
Gardner.
Chief Attorney for the state grand jury Creighton Waters and
Assistant Attorney General Savanna Goude are prosecuting the case.
The Blythewood Connection
Griffin arbitrarily hired Cooks last fall – without
council’s knowledge – as the Town was searching for an assistant town
administrator, even though Cooks had not applied for the position. Griffin
later told council members that he knew Cooks when she previously worked for
FEMA. Cooks had applied for the administrator’s position earlier last year but,
by law, council hires the administrator, and the majority of council did not
select Cooks.
After hiring Cooks, Griffin also changed her title from
assistant town administrator to deputy town administrator – a position that was
not budgeted – and paid her an annual salary of $90,000, again without the
knowledge of council.
When asked to comment on Cook’s hiring process, Councilman
Rich McKenrick and Mayor Pro Tem Donald Brock responded.
“It would be my hope that our Town government follow
established procedures while hiring for any town position,” McKenrick said.
“Our town leaders should be looking for the most qualified individuals through
the interview process and consider all available information when considering a
candidate, specifically, in this particular matter that involved an ongoing
SLED investigation that was publicized in the media.”
Brock said he had questions not only about the candidate’s
circumstances, but about the hiring process in general.
“It’s my position that the hiring of Ms. Cooks under these
circumstances is quite concerning. I have numerous questions for the mayor
regarding this hire and look forward to having them answered,” said Brock. “The
SLED investigation not withstanding, the fact that the hiring process appears
to have been circumvented is also concerning.
“I feel these questions must be addressed by the entire
governing body. We are the stewards of the Town and must be diligent in all
aspects of the Town’s operations,” Brock said.
After Cooks resigned from the Deputy Administrator position,
Griffin issued a press release on Dec. 5, 2024, in which he blamed the council
and The Voice for Cooks’ departure.
The press release – written in third person – stated: “Mayor
Griffin expresses his concern and disappointment over the actions of some
members of Town Council and the local media, whose unfounded claims have caused
unnecessary harm.”
Griffin did not say what claims were unfounded or what harm
was done by council and the media. The Voice was the only local media to report
that Cooks was being investigated by SLED.
Council Defunds Positions
In a special called meeting, also on Dec. 5, 2024, town
council members voted 4-0 (Griffin was not present), to pass the first of two
readings to amend the Town’s current budget effecting a staff reduction to
eliminate certain full-time positions that had been funded in the budget:
assistant administrator, assistant to the administrator, human resources
director, and lobbyist.
The two other positions that were arbitrarily filled by
Griffin – deputy administrator (Cooks) and multi-media specialist (Robert
Kelly) – were never funded in the budget.
On that same day, Griffin requested an attorney general’s
opinion as to whether, among other things, the town council could lawfully
amend a municipality’s budget so as to usurp a “strong Mayor’s” responsibility
and duty to appoint municipal employees.
AG’s Opinion
In an answer to the mayor’s request, the attorney general
responded on Jan. 24, 2025. Town attorney Pete Balthazar summarized that answer
during the Jan. 27 council meeting.
“The Attorney General said ‘yes’ [council is authorized to
approve the budget] with a caveat that council cannot do it in such a way that
would completely strip the mayor’s powers under SC Statute 9-5-30, which lists
the powers the mayor has under the mayor-council form of government.
Executive Order #3
On Jan. 31, 2025. Griffin issued Executive Order No. 3 in
which he ordered the reinstatement of positions and employees (with back pay)
who were recently defunded by council. This order would have reinstated both
Cooks and Kelly.
Griffin’s order was to take effect immediately, returning
impacted employees to their roles on Feb. 4, 2025.
Council Wins Permanent Injunction
In a contentious special called meeting on Monday, Feb. 3,
2025, Blythewood Town Council members voted 4-1 to authorize the town’s
attorney to file for a temporary and permanent injunction against Griffin to
stop him from implementing the executive order (#3).
Griffin voted against.
A court ruling handed down March 17, 2025, granted Town of
Blythewood council members a permanent injunction prohibiting Griffin from
enforcing his Executive Order #3 and from hiring town hall employees unless
town council has authorized funding for those positions.
Common Pleas Judge Daniel Coble ruled that the permanent
injunction will remain in effect until overturned on appeal or modified
WINNSBORO – Affordable vet services for pets in Fairfield
County will be available soon – as soon, in fact, as the ribbon is cut on the
town’s newly refurbished vet clinic on Friday, March 28.
It’s long been the dream of former Director of the Fairfield
Animal Shelter, Bob Innes – now associated with PETSInc. – to see all Fairfield
dogs and cats living their best life.
With the county shelter overrun with mostly
un-spayed/un-neutered, stray, abandoned, neglected, and abused bully breeds, and
with regular veterinary services no longer available in the town, an
affordable vet service was not just a dream, but a necessity.
Last fall, Innes approached first the county government,
unsuccessfully, then the Town of Winnsboro Town Manager Chris Clauson, about
forming a partnership with Pets Inc. and veterinarian Robbie Chappell to
provide a facility where affordable – really affordable – vet care would be
provided for the county’s dogs and cats.
Clauson liked the idea and leased one of the town’s unused
buildings for $10 a month to the group.
With the partnership formed, volunteers were quickly
assembled to begin cleaning, scraping, painting, and repairing the building.
Innes and the volunteers raised more than $25,000 to pay the costs.
The 1,600 square foot facility includes an ample waiting
room, two small intake/examination rooms, a surgery room that will accommodate
two surgeons, a large recovery room, and a large restroom. With an attractive
entry area, new laminate in the rear rooms, freshly painted pastel walls, and
lots of windows across the front, Innes said the facility now looks like an
animal clinic.
“The clinic was so desperately needed here in Fairfield,” Innes
said. “So many strays, and good vet care is expensive,” he said. “Our aim is to
offer good care – specifically spay and neuter surgeries at first – at prices that
people in Fairfield can afford.”
“The clinic will be open at least two days a month to begin
with, then more frequently as business increases,” Innes said. “The specific days
and services will be announced later.”
The new clinic is located at 325 S. Vanderhorst Street in
Winnsboro.
To donate or volunteer, email Innes at binnes@petsinc.org .
From 0-19 three years ago to 29-2 in 2025, Blythewood’s girls basketball program willed their way to the program’s first ever state title: the South Carolina High School League’s 5A Division 1 State Championship. Led by head coach Emily McElveen-Shchaeffer, Blythewood’s newest state champions are Codi Goff, Kennedy Anderson, Aniya Guerrero, Alayna Young, Daniella Bosmans, Hayley Hightower, Madison Thomas, Kaila Spain, Sherron Waters, Chase Thomas and India Williams. | Larry Gamble
FLORENCE – Around this time three years ago, the Blythewood girls basketball team finished the season 0-19. On Friday night at the Florence Center, the Bengals won the 5A Division I state championship with a 62-56 victory over lower-state champion Summerville.
“Their hard work has definitely paid off,” second-year head
coach Emily McElveen-Schaeffer said. “That was what I was most proud of – that
they worked hard since June, day in and day out, fall ball, and I’m glad they
get to reap the benefit of that.”
Over the past three years India Williams, Chase Thomas, and
Hayley Hightower have developed into team leaders, and it showed on the court
and in the box score Friday night—Williams led Blythewood (29-2) with 22
points, Thomas had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Hightower had 11 points.
“It means a lot, this is the first state title in, like ever,” Williams said. “It’s a great opportunity to be a part of this, and in only my third year here, it’s incredible. We started off working very hard, and we were like, this is our season, and we definitely came out and performed to that.”
Photos: Larry Gamble
It was a Williams-Thomas-Hightower show against the Green
Wave (24-4) in the first half. The veterans got around Summerville’s 3-2 zone
by hitting six 3-pointers in the first half, which was just enough to help the
Bengals to a 29-25 halftime lead.
India Williams
Thomas had just four points in the first half, a free throw
and a 3-pointer. Williams had 14 points in the first half, but just one layup
to join her four 3-pointers.
“She stepped up big in the first half,” Schaeffer said of Williams. “She had the first six points of the game from that corner. The corner 3, that’s her shot.”
Hightower scored nine points in the first half—a 3-pointer,
two foul shots, and two layups.
Hitting baskets from behind the 3-point line has been a
trait for all Blythewood players this year, and Friday’s 3-pointers—four from
Williams, one from Thomas and one from Hightower, proved to be the difference.
“I play a little team. We have a lot of guards so we rely on that,” Schaeffer said. “We shoot a lot in practice. We knew they would come out in a zone and I told the girls to occupy the guards, get it to the corners and let us shoot the ball.”
While the Green Wave’s zone prevented a lot of easy baskets,
Blythewood did just enough in the second half to keep Summerville behind.
“Like I told the girls, basketball is a game of runs,”
Schaeffer said. “When teams go on runs you’ve got to be able to control those
runs. You can’t let the atmosphere take over, because in this kind of atmosphere
here, the crowd’s gonna be involved. I think we did a good job of responding to
their runs.”
Hayley Hightower
Aniyah Guerrero sank the first basket of the second half to
give the Bengals a 31-25 lead, but Cailah Tucker and Molly Daugherty put up
baskets to cut that margin to two.
Williams made good on a jumper and a foul shot, and a jumper
from Hightower brought Blythewood’s lead back up to 36-29 at the 4:53 mark of
the third quarter. The Bengals outscored Summerville 9-8 the rest of the way to
end three quarters of play with a 45-37 lead, even with senior point guard
Sharron Waters on the bench in foul trouble.
Without Waters, who’s a consistent 3-point hitter as well as
a good ball-handler, the team relied on Thomas in the paint and at the
free-throw line, and Daniella Bosmans, who had nine points in the game, as the
game drew to a close.
“Our team is more than one person,” McElveen-Schaeffer said.
“We rely on each other and Chase had to do her role tonight, and in the fourth
quarter they went man, and we could open up against what we’re used to playing
all year, and that just shows that all five on the court can go.”
Bosmans’ basket early in the fourth gave the Bengals a 47-37
lead, the first double-digit lead of the game.
Thomas, who had a 3-point play in the third quarter, made
good on another 3-point play in the fourth quarter that put Blythewood up 57-45
with just over three minutes to go. She scored 11 points—seven from foul
shots—in the final quarter to help preserve the win.
Tucker’s 3-pointer with 19 seconds left was the last score of the game, and as Molly Daugherty’s 3-point attempt failed at the buzzer, Blythewood players cleared the bench in celebration of closing out the season with a victory.
“We knew from Day One that we were supposed to be here.
We’ve been saying that since the first day of practice,” Thomas said. “We’ve
been playing here (at Blythewood) for about two and a half, three years, so we
know the system and we’ve been playing together, working hard, and it’s been
finally paying off.”
Molly Daugherty scored 22 points and Tucker had 18 points to
lead Summerville.
“One of the things I felt that hurt us was that we had like
10 days off,” Green Wave head coach Calvin Davis said. “But we gave it our all,
we left it all on the floor. It didn’t end the way we wanted it to end, but in
the end they grew, and they became special in that sense of being developed.”
Summerville’s five seniors – Tucker, Lavassar, Emma and
Molly Daugherty, and Madison Thomas – provided a strong foundation for the team
over the past three years.
“Three of them will go on to play at the next level, and the
other two might,” Davis said. “They’re very special to me. They’ve been with me
for at least three to four years. I love them, they grew up as my leaders.”
As for Blythewood, Thomas and her teammates are enjoying the
win. And they hope for more.
“It’s like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I’m glad I
get to do it with these girls. It’s just amazing,” Thomas said. “She (Coach
McElveen-Schaeffer) was my assistant coach my freshman year so we’ve been
growing and getting better and better each year. The first year we didn’t do so
good, our second year it was OK, and this year we dominated. That was our plan
– we take over, and that’s what we did.”
Blythewood – 16-13-16-17 – 62
Summerville – 13-12-12-19 – 56
B – India Williams 22, Chase Thomas 18, Hayley Hightower 11, Daniella Bosmans 9, Aniya Guerrero 2. S – Molly Daugherty 22, Cailah Tucker 18, Jayden Bennett 5, Emma Daugherty 4, Madison Thomas 3, Krissa Lavassar 2, Destinee Grant 2.
FAIRFIELD COUNTY – At approximately 8:50 p.m. on Sunday, March 9, Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a robbery at 3888 State Highway 215 South in Jenkinsville, a rural gas station known as Monticello EZ Mart, nicknamed “the tackle-box.”
Surveillance footage from Monticello EZ Mart. | Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office
According to a news release from the Fairfield County
Sheriff’s Office, the suspect wearing all black clothing, including a black ski
mask, black hoodie, black pants, black sneakers and black garden/ work gloves,
entered the store at approximately 8:38 PM and exited by 8:40 PM.
The suspect, believed to be a slender male, presented an
object covered by a black plastic in his right hand, presented as a firearm.
Surveillance footage shows the suspect announcing the
robbery to the clerk and pointing an object covered by a black plastic bag to
signify he was armed. The clerk opens the cash registers, and the suspect takes
money from two registers. The suspect then flees on foot southbound into the
tree line.
The store owner reported cash stolen from the cash registers
during the incident, which was captured on video surveillance.
The clerk was taken to Fairfield ER by EMS for shock but is
not believed to have been physically injured.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Fairfield County
Sheriff’s Office.
FAIRFIELD COUNTY – Three people have been arrested for the death of two puppies who were left with another surviving puppy in a locked crate with no food and water.
Jeremy Allen Cook, 35, and Anne Marie Whitaker, 32, both of
Winnsboro, and Jessica Ann Broom, 19. of Ridgeway have been charged with Ill
Treatment of Animals and Abandonment of Animals under S. C. law.
Three puppies were left in this crate along Old Camden Rd. | Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office
On Sunday, March 9, at approximately 1 p.m., the Fairfield
County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a suspected animal dumping
incident in the vicinity of Horse Creek Road. Deputies responded and determined
the incident occurred on Old Camden Road near Highway 21.
When they arrived, deputies made contact with two people who
reported discovering three dogs abandoned in a crate on a remote section of Old
Camden Road, according to the incident report.
Further investigation revealed that one dog was already deceased,
while the remaining two dogs were confined in the crate without food or water.
Both were reported to be exhibiting signs of severe malnourishment, according
to deputies.
The surviving dogs were transported to a local veterinary
hospital for treatment; however, one of the two later succumbed to starvation.
The initial report stemmed from a video circulating on
social media, which depicted the dogs’ abandonment and prompted the
complainants to go to the scene and call 911.
Sheriff’s deputies investigating the incident determined
that the dogs had been intentionally abandoned on Saturday, March 8, by
individuals who admitted to placing the animals in the crate and leaving them
on Old Camden Road with no means of survival.
Initial statements from two of the suspects claimed the
dogs had been rehomed due to their inability to care for the dogs. Further
questioning, however, revealed these statements to be false, according to the
Sheriff’s deputies. The suspects ultimately confessed to collaborating with a
third party to dispose of the animals.
Cook, Whitaker, and Broom have been arrested, and the case
remains under investigation.
