Latest news with #PickensCountySheriff'sOffice
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Suspect in Clemson chase may be connected to missing man, sheriff says
PICKENS COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) — The Pickens County Sheriff's Office has shared more information about a suspect involved in an active police chase that occurred Thursday to Sheriff Tommy Blankenship, officials believe the suspect, identified as 32-year-old Jeremy Basquette, is connected to 68-year-old Steven Whitmire. Whitmire went missing between late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning from his home on Whitmire Hill Road. Officials said he is around 5'7″ tall and weighs around 150 pounds, with gray hair and a gray goatee. The chase involving Basquette began around 8:30 a.m. on Thursday. South Carolina Highway Patrol said the Central Police Department was in pursuit of a 2005 Honda Accord traveling west on Highway 93. The car then attempted to exit on Highway 76 when the vehicle went off the left side of the road, down an embankment and overturned. Basquette had a gunshot wound to the head, which officials said was self-inflicted. An autopsy for Basquette occurred today, but no new details are available at this time. Anyone with information regarding Whitmire's whereabouts is asked to call the Pickens County Sheriff's Office at (864) 898-5500. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
First Responder Friday: Wyatt the Weightlifter
PICKENS, SC (WSPA) – Wyatt the Weightlifter, the Pickens County Sheriff's Office therapy dog, has become quite a celebrity. 'I make jokes all the time that even as a captain, Wyatt has more appointments on my calendar than I do for myself,' Captain Shannon Ellenburg, who handles the dog, said. Wyatt is a two-year-old golden doodle. Ellenburg said the dog was donated to the sheriff's office by Double U Doodles. We're told this breed of dog doesn't shed and is hypoallergenic. That makes Wyatt perfect to serve as a therapy dog. 'I can't take a lot of credit for how well behaved he is,' according to Ellenburg. 'Because I really ended up with a dog that already had a really great personality.' Ellenburg said she gave Wyatt his nickname from her time working out. 'I would carry him out to the gym to desensitize him to loud noises. And for whatever reason, one day, while I was throwing weights around and desensitizing him, I thought, He's the weight lifter.' He lifts the emotional weights off of people.' Wyatt's services have been needed over the past several months. He was a regular visitor to Pickens County Emergency Management during the recovery from Hurricane Helene last September and October. More recently, Ellenburg brought the therapy dog to meet crews that faced the Table Rock Complex wildfire for two weeks. 'We were there all but one day for basically 14-to-16-hour days,' Ellenburg told 7NEWS. 'He would just run around the command post and let the firefighters and all the different personnel that were there shower love on him.' Pickens County Sheriff Tommy Blankenship saw the same thing. 'They (firefighters) would come in, and even if their hands were full of their gear, they would drop it. They would sit down on the ground and pet Wyatt. You could just see the weight and the stress of what they were dealing with were lifted for that, for that moment.' Wyatt is always greeted with open arms at the sheriff's office. In fact, the dog is a hit across Pickens County. 'He has treats everywhere, not just in this building, but in the courthouse, the county administration building, the tax office, just about everywhere we go,' according to Ellenburg. That includes inside Sheriff Blankenship's office. 'He is that calming presence. And the idea is that it's a service, right?' asks Blankenship. 'The sheriff's office exists to share and to serve the citizens.' 'It's not just about us making arrests.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Yahoo
Search For Missing Hiker Called Off After Teens Allegedly Caused Huge Wildfire With Cigarettes
Three adults and a minor are accused of starting a 13,000-acre wildfire that forced rescuers to abandon their search for a missing hiker, the South Carolina Forestry Commission announced Tuesday. Nyzaire Jah-Neiz Marsh, 19, Tristan Tyler, 18, and Isaac Wilson, 18, were charged with one misdemeanor count each of negligently allowing fire to spread to lands or property of another, according to the forestry commission. They were charged alongside a juvenile, but he was released to his parents' custody and not booked in jail. Officials say the suspects were hiking in Table Rock State Park on March 21 and smoking cigarettes. The young men, however, did not properly extinguish one of the cigarettes, igniting the wildfire, the announcement said. Pickens County sheriff's deputies and first responders were already in the area with a search party looking for Stephanie Womacks, 52, who disappeared March 3 while visiting the park, Sheriff Fred Blankenship said. Womacks' search was called off after first responders noticed the rapidly growing fires, and seven hikers were evacuated from the park, according to Blankenship and the forestry commission. A spokesperson for the Pickens County Sheriff's Office confirmed with HuffPost that Womacks is still considered a missing person. Days before the fire broke out, Womacks' son asked for help in finding his mother. 'I just think she's someone that deserves to have every opportunity to be found, to be brought home,' Isaiah Wilkins told Fox affiliate WHNS. 'I think anyone deserves that, but especially it being my mom, obviously I want that to be done.' As of Tuesday, the fire had spread to 13,564 acres and was 68% contained, according to the forestry commission. The agency notes forest fire danger is usually highest from January to April due to dead vegetation. 'Fires do not start or spread as quickly when vegetation is green,' the commission's website read. North Carolina Forest Service spokesperson Bo Dossett also notes that dry conditions, wind and trees downed by Hurricane Helene fueled the recent wildfires. The suspects were all released on personal recognizance bonds of $7,500, according to the forestry commission. They are now facing a minimum of five days in jail and a maximum of 30 days in jail if convicted or a fine of $25 to $200. An attorney was not listed in the suspects' court records reviewed by HuffPost. Wildfires In The Carolinas Fueled By Drought, Wind And Fallen Trees From Hurricane Helene Wildfires Ravage South Korea, Killing 24 People And Destroying 1,300-Year-Old Temple Wildfires Prompt Evacuations In Carolinas, As New Jersey Crews Battle Blaze
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Yahoo
3 charged in connection to 13,000-acre wildfire at state park
Officials in South Carolina have arrested and charged three men concerning a 13,000-plus-acre wildfire that happened last month. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] On Tuesday, South Carolina Forestry Commission law enforcement officials arrested Nyzaire Jah-Neiz Marsh,19, of Taylors, SC, Tristan Tyler, 18, of Greenville, SC and Isaac Wilson, 18, of Greenville, SC. The Pickens County Sheriff's Office in South Carolina said while deputies were searching for a missing hiker March 21, they found a rapidly growing wildfire. Deputies immediately evacuated seven hikers, several of whom were questioned about the fire's origin, officials said. TRENDING STORIES: Atlanta rapper Young Scooter died after accidentally injuring himself, medical examiner says Muslim women say they were told to 'go back to their country' in Alpharetta parking deck Police: Woman held 2 teens at gunpoint after she said they fished near her property During the investigation, deputies brought in three adults and a minor for questioning. Pickens County detectives got evidence that they say identified who started the fire. According to the arrest warrant affidavits, the suspects were smoking on a hiking trail at the state park and did not put their cigarettes out properly and safely. Authorities believe that led to the start of the Table Rock Fire. The trio was each charged with one count of negligently allowing fire to spread to lands or property of another. A minor was charged with the same charge, however, he was not booked and released to his parent. All three were transported to the Pickens County Detention Center and released each on a $7,500 bond. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] According to a park advisory, Table Rock State Park remains closed due to the wildfire but is set to reopen on Monday. Other trails will reopen as they are evaluated and cleared for safety.
USA Today
02-04-2025
- USA Today
Cigarettes ignited large Table Rock fire in South Carolina, officials say
Cigarettes ignited large Table Rock fire in South Carolina, officials say Show Caption Hide Caption Wildfires blaze across Carolinas, forcing mandatory evacuations Wildfires blazed across the Carolinas, forcing mandatory evacuations. The cause of the fires is unknown. Three South Carolina men and a teenager were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of starting the largest mountain wildfire in state history, the South Carolina Forest Commission said. The teens were smoking on a hiking trail at Table Rock State Park on March 21 and did not properly extinguish their cigarettes, sparking the inferno, according to the state agency. The Pickens County Sheriff's Office said Nyzaire Jah-Neiz Marsh, 19, Isaac David Wilson, and Tristan William Tyler, both 18, and a minor, who was not identified, were charged with arson and negligently allowing a fire to spread. Data from the South Carolina Forestry Commission shows the Table Rock Fire has burned over 13,200 acres of land, making it the largest mountain wildfire in South Carolina history. As of Tuesday, the wildfire was 30% contained. Recent rounds of heavy rainfall have helped firefighters battling the blaze by reducing fire activity at the burn site. The Table Rock Fire was one of several large wildfires that broke out across the Carolinas last month, straining firefighting resources as officials issued burn bans, evacuated neighborhoods and opened shelters. The downed trees and dry brush left over from Hurricane Helene fueled the blazes along with strong wind gusts and low humidity. Just east of the Table Rock Fire, the Persimmon Ridge Fire has burned over 2,000 acres of land and was 74% contained as of Tuesday, according to the forest commission, which said in an operational update that the fire "has ceased growth and will remain in its current footprint." The Table Rock Fire was discovered on March 21 while rescue crews searched for missing hiker Stephanie Womack. The search group evacuated seven hikers, including the teens, and questioned them about the origins of the fire. Marsh, Wilson and Tyler posted $7,500 bonds and were released. The juvenile was not booked and was released into his parent's custody. More: What to do after a wildfire? Here's what to do if your property is damaged
