DEA agent shot in Orangeburg
An agent from the Drug Enforcement Agency was shot in Orangeburg Sunday, according to The Charlotte Observer. According to a federal report, the Special Agent Barry Wilson was assaulted by Joel Robinson, a 32-year-old man accused of manufacturing PCP in his home for several years.
The shooting occurred at around 6 a.m. on Oct. 19 after the agent entered the Robinson's home with a warrant to search for signs of a drug trafficking operation. Wilson was struck in the elbow. According to an official report, agents did not return fire.
Robinson was charged with the assault of a federal officer and carrying a firearm in drug trafficking. He will be held in custody until a hearing, which is scheduled for Oct. 27.
3 arrested after crime spree
Three young people were arrested last weekend after a crime spree in northeast Columbia, according to The State. They were found by K-9 units on Sunday while trying to evade police on Hardscrabble Road.
Marquell Thomas, 18, was charged with theft of a motor vehicle and possession of an unauthorized firearm. Two other youths were also charged. One was charged possession of a stolen vehicle and unauthorized firearm, while the other with possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of an unauthorized firearm and unlawful carry of a firearm.
Between Oct. 9 and Oct. 17, the trio reportedly stole a pickup truck from a residence in northeast Columbia, as well as a firearm and several other items, including a motorcycle.
U.S. Supreme Court denies Rock Hill man final appeal
The U.S. Supreme Court denied Billy Wayne Cope's appeal on Monday, The State reported. Cope was convicted in 2001 of the rape and murder of his 12-year-old daughter, Amanda. The family was living in Rock Hill at the time.
Prosecutors argued that Cope manipulated the legal system for years after his daughter's death, in an attempt to lessen his sentence. He is now serving life in prison without parole.
Cope's attorneys (one of whom defended convicted child murderer Susan Smith and Dzhokar Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon bomber) have vowed to keep fighting for a lesser sentence in court, but the prosecution is adamant that he serve the full term.