Columbia police officer arrested for DUI
A City of Columbia Police Department officer was arrested for driving under the influence at 3:45 a.m. Sunday, according to The State.
The officer, 30-year-old Joshua White, had been assigned to the North Region and was stopped by the Traffic Safety Unit at the intersection of Huger and Whaley Streets for erratically driving a green GMC vehicle, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
During the traffic stop, White showed his driver’s license, proof of insurance and City of Columbia Police Department identification.
According to Richland county Sheriff Leon Lott, White was brought to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center for processing and has been suspended without pay.
Pygmy sperm whale dies off Hunting Island shore
According to federal officials, a pygmy sperm whale died after being found in Beaufort County, just off the shore of Hunting Island, WIS reported.
A marine biologist said the whale had been spotted in a marsh area on Sunday, according to the Island Packet of Hilton Head Island.
Jessica Conway of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the whale was alive prior to becoming stuck in an oyster bed. Conway said that after the tide fell, the whale died. The cause of the whale’s death has not yet been determined.
According to Al Segar of the state Department of Natural Resources, a different pygmy sperm whale was found beached on Hilton Head Island at the end of last month.
Mother to be tried on deaths of 4 children
The state attorney general’s office will prosecute the case of the South Carolina mother charged following the deaths of her four children in a fire last April, according to WIS.
Hope Hawkins, 21, will face four counts of homicide by child abuse and illegal conduct toward a child.
Prosecutor Will Rogers requested that the case be prosecuted by the attorney general’s office, as Rogers said he has potential conflicts of interest with those involved, the Morning News of Florence reported.
According to authorities, Hawkins left her children at home alone. The children ranged from 10 months to four years in age. Hawkins claimed she was in the yard outside the house when the fire started.