Prominent attorney dies after unexpected illness
Steve Morrison, a prominent Columbia attorney who advocated for equity in South Carolina’s public schools, has died at the age of 64, The State reported.
Morrison was a partner with Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough in Columbia. He fell ill and died unexpectedly between Saturday night and early Sunday morning. Morrison died in New York, where he was attending a board meeting.
Morrison was a lead litigator in a school funding lawsuit 20 years ago brought by rural school districts against the state, claiming they did not get adequate funding.
Morrison also worked extensively in the community, advocating for arts and education. He served on the boards of many organizations and institutions, including Benedict College, Central Carolina Community Foundation, Allen University and the Foundation for Columbia’s Future.
South Carolina fifth in violent crime
South Carolina has the fifth-highest crime rate in the nation, the Greenville News reported.
The ranking comes with an apparent relationship between lower income and less education, according to a new study and a justice expert.
South Carolina has almost 559 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, according to 24/7 Wall St. The only states with higher crime rates are Tennessee, Nevada, Alaska and New Mexico.
The state’s murder rate is 6.9 per 100,000 people, also the fifth highest, and its aggravated assault rate is third highest. About 25 percent of South Carolina residents have bachelor’s degrees, which is “among the nation’s lowest figures,” according to the study.
The study also revealed South Carolina has a poverty rate of 18.3 percent, which is high compared to the national average of 15.9 percent.
Police: Man impersonated officer, assaulted woman
The Springdale Police Department is looking for a man who impersonated a police officer before sexually assaulting a woman, WIS reported.
A man using a small blue light on his dashboard stopped a woman on Wattling Road in Springdale last Tuesday around 8:30 p.m., according to Police Chief Kevin Cornett. The suspect told the victim her tag lamp was out.
The man used the stop to get the woman out of her car, according to police. When she got out, he began hitting her repeatedly in the head. He then dragged her to the edge of the woods where he sexually assaulted her, according to a police department release.
The man is described as white in his early 20s to mid-30s with light brown or red hair and light eyes.