Three people were arrested this week, after the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Department seized the eighth methamphetamine manufacturing operation this year, The State reported.
Michael Brass, 31; Heath Sanders, 30; and Jessica Norris, 29, were arrested by Kershaw County deputies at the Economy Inn in Elgin, where they were producing the drug. Police received an anonymous tip information about the potential operation. Upon investigation, authorities found a “one-pot meth lab,” along with ingredients integral to creating the illegal drug.
The one-pot method, used to avoid laws restricting the sale of pseduoephedrine, involves mixing a number of cold pills inside of a two-liter soda bottle. The method is known to be incredibly dangerous and carries a very high risk of explosion.
“If the bottle is shaken the wrong way, if any oxygen gets inside of it or if the cap is loosened too quickly, the bottle can [explode] into a giant fireball,” according to the West Virginia department of environmental protection.
—Davis Klabo, Assistant News Editor
A 12-year-old Richland County girl reported missing was seen Monday in the Garners Ferry Road area, The State reported.
Rashia Weller was sighted in the company of two men earlier this week, when she was wearing a blonde wig and makeup at the time. Weller disappeared from her foster parent’s house on Aug. 3.
The sheriff’s department speculated that the apparent disguise was being used by Weller to give the appearance that she is older than her actual age. Weller is estimated to be roughly 5-feet-8-inches tall and to weigh between 115-120 pounds. She has three wigs: blonde, black with curls and brown with red streaks, also speculated to be for the purpose of concealing her identity.
The main issue of concern to the sheriff’s department is her age and the possibility that she may “fall prey,” according to Curtis Wilson, Richland County Sheriff’s Department spokesman.
—Davis Klabo, Assistant News Editor
A one-day South Carolina House of Representatives session ended Wednesday with one gubernatorial veto overruled and one sustained, WLTX reported.
The two bills, one designed to help South Carolina libraries keep away disruptive people and another to allow a tax hike in parts of Horry and Georgetown counties to help fund firefighting in the areas, were ratified by both houses and vetoed by Governor Nikki Haley, though the vetoes were overridden by the state Senate.
The House of Representatives, which requires a 2/3 vote to override a bill, was the last step toward ratifying the legislation, despite Haley’s opposition.
The library bill passed with a 75-36 vote, allowing public libraries to charge misdemeanor trespassing to people who return to a library after receiving a written warning to stay away. The firefighter bill failed in two attempts, 59-53 and 58-49.
The one day session was organized after the Senate passed overrides in the last days of the congressional session, when representatives had already returned home.
—Davis Klabo, Assistant News Editor