In Brief: 3/14/16

Local company sued following traffic accident

A Columbia jury will decide this week how much actual and punitive damages Jemme Stewart will receive from Gregory Electric Company, The State reports. Stewart was injured in 2012 when she was struck by one of the company's trucks while using a crosswalk at Pavilion and College streets in Five Points. The case will be heard in state civil court in Richland County. An attorney for Gregory Electric and the driver, David J. Atkinson, acknowledged that the company and driver are liable and told The State that the suit is simply about the amount of damage. The issue of pedestrian safety is not new to Five Points, as a man in a wheelchair was killed after being run over the area a few months before this incident. South Carolina ranked sixth in the nation in pedestrian fatalities in 2014.

- Compiled by Mary Ramsey, News Editor

Beloved restaurant closing at end of March

WIS reports that Edna's, a popular and locally owned drive-in restaurant on River Drive, will say goodbye to the community on March 31. Despite recent efforts by fans of the burger and hot dog joint to raise money to stop the closure, the family behind the business says this will not help and discourages people to not make any donations. They say the closure is happening for many reasons, including that the owners have passed away and the building itself has multiple problems.

- Compiled by Mary Ramsey, News Editor

Trial for ex-trooper set to begin Monday

Once named S.C. Trooper of the Year, Sean Groubert will have his day in court this week or shortly thereafter over his on-the-job, non-lethal shooting of an unarmed African-American man at a local gas station 18 months ago, The State reports. He faces charges of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature for the incident and could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison if convicted. The case made national headlines when dash-cam video showed Groubert firing shots in the midst of a traffic stop regarding a seat belt issue at a Circle K gas station in the St. Andrew's community. He was fired 15 days after the incident occurred and arrested five days after that. The victim, Levar Edward Jones, won a $285,000 settlement from the state just months after the shooting.

- Compiled by Mary Ramsey, News Editor