'This is my worst fear'

Employees talk about 10-15 minutes
of fear during robbery at Greenwood KFC

July 7, 2006

By JOANIE BAKER
Index-Journal staff writer

It wasn’t until Freddie Abney’s do-rag was grabbed and his head was whipped back that the 20-year-old realized the red-masked man holding the silver, plastic-looking gun wasn’t joking about robbing the KFC.
On Thursday, Abney had just come out of the bathroom of the restaurant he works at on the S.C. 72 Bypass when a man described as being in his late teens pointed a gun at him and stuttered “this is a robbery.”
“We almost thought it was a joke at first. The way he stuttered, he didn’t look serious,” Abney said.
As Abney fell to the floor by the restaurant’s office, the red-masked man “mushed” his head to the side with his gun and called out to a suspect in a black mask. “Should I blow this “expletive’s” head open?”
“I was like, if he says yeah, this guy doesn’t have slip-resistant shoes on and I’m gonna hit his legs out or something,” Abney said.
Much to the employee’s relief, the men went into the office, stepping on him each time they came in and out of the office.
Abney said he remembers listening as two songs played on the radio before the men finally left.
“This is my worst fear. It’s why I came to KFC,” Abney said. “I thought nobody would rob a KFC ... I kept thinking, 'Oh my God' in my head. The only thing I could do was pray and pray and pray. This is the biggest fear of my life and it’s happening.”
While 16-year-old Craig Patterson was de-boning some chicken, he heard someone scream, “This is a robbery.”
Patterson said he ran to the side door and, realizing it was locked, hid in the booth below the Colonel Sanders' frosted window. From there, Patterson was able to call 911 on his cell phone.
“They didn’t even know I was still in the store,” said Patterson, who said he only briefly saw one of the suspects wearing Michael Jordan tennis shoes, tan pants, a black shirt and a black face mask. “They kept yelling ‘Who has a cell phone? Who has a cell phone?’ I put the phone back down and whispered, ‘we’re getting robbed, the KFC on South Main ...’ I kept thinking please don’t let me hear a gunshot.”
Patterson said he called at 10:09 p.m., and officials arrived at the scene by 10:15 p.m.
“I feel kind of stupid because, what if he had come back in the lobby?” Patterson said. “But I feel like I saved somebody’s life because they didn’t leave until the first police car pulled in.”
When officials arrived, they blocked off Birchtree Drive.
Abney said that just after the store closed at 10 p.m., the suspects met employees at the back door as they were about to take out the trash. The employee said there were about nine employees at the store who were ordered to lie down on the floor, and that no shots were fired before the two men exited the restaurant at the back door headed toward Days Inn. Abney said managers estimated that between $3,000 and $5,000 was stolen.
Maj. Lonnie Smith, of the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office, said the suspects were both armed, black men and that the bloodhounds were tracking the suspects’ paths. He said there was a suspicious white Volvo in the area, but it had not been confirmed that it was involved in the robbery.
As officials from the sheriff’s office, Greenwood Police Department and South Carolina Highway Patrol put away their weapons, an employee was escorted across the street to her family waiting in the Captain D’s parking lot. The frightened woman kept her shirt collar and hands balled up to her mouth until she was in the safety of the vehicle.
Owners and managers stood anxiously outside the restaurant and waited for officials to question employees before they were allowed to enter and account for the money. A manager at Dairy Queen, which is beside KFC, said law officers had warned businesses along the bypass that there had been back-door robberies near Anderson and to make sure their back doors were locked.
As shaken employees gathered in the Shoney’s parking lot across from the KFC, Craig Patterson’s mother, Wendy Patterson, said she’s not sure she wants her son to return to his first job today.
“I hear he was the hero, and I’m proud of that, but as a parent, you still don’t want to think of what could have happened,” she said. “He wants to come back tomorrow, and I’m already thinking I don’t know about this.”

2 charged in local man’s death

July 7, 2006

By MEGAN VARNER
Index-Journal senior staff writer

Two Greenwood men have been arrested and charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a local man over the weekend.
Greenwood Police arrested McKenzie Dervana Holloway, 25, of 751 E. Northside Drive, Apartment G-4, Greenwood, and charged him with murder and attempted armed robbery. James Oliver Williams, 31, of 653 Grier St., Greenwood, was arrested and charged with accessory after the fact of murder.
Authorities said George Dewitt Sellars, 31, of 525 Circle Drive, died Monday night at Self Regional Medical Center, two days after he was shot in the head in a July 1 incident on Grier Street in Greenwood.
A warrant released Thursday by the Greenwood Police Department gave this account: Williams called 911 about 8:30 a.m. Saturday to report that a person had been shot behind his house on Grier Street. He originally told police he had been sleeping when he heard the gunshot, but further investigation by detectives led police to question Williams again. Williams then told police he was in his living room with two other people when Holloway came into the house and said he had “a ‘lick’ but lacked the drugs to complete it.”
According to the warrant, Williams told police Holloway said he intended to rob the victim and then walked out of the house moments before Williams heard the gunshot. During a third questioning, Williams told police he saw Holloway “shoot Sellars after he failed to complete the transactions for some drugs.”The warrant said Holloway told police he sold Sellars crack cocaine, which he smoked, before giving the man additional crack cocaine. Holloway said he approached the driver’s side of an SUV and requested that Sellars pay him for the drugs.
Holloway told police that, when Sellars attempted to drive off, he “accidentally shot him in the head” with a firearm taken from Williams’ home. He said he threw the weapon away on a train later in the day.
A Greenwood Police Department report said officers found Sellars on the ground next to an SUV, bleeding profusely from the head and face. Greenwood County EMS technicians found an entry wound on Sellars’ left temple. The technicians asked Sellars for his name, but he replied only that he needed help. He was able to say he had been shot by a black man before he began to lose consciousness, and he told police he did not know the person who shot him.
Sellars was taken to Self Regional Medical Center, where he was placed on a respiratory support system, Greenwood County Coroner Jim Coursey said. Doctors unhooked Sellars from the machine on Monday, Coursey said, and an autopsy was performed Wednesday.
Coursey said Sellars’ cause of death was determined to be brain injuries related to a gunshot wound to the head. The bullet retrieved during the autopsy was sent to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division for further analysis.
According to his obituary, Sellars was self employed and formerly owned a roofing company. He had performed work with several local contractors and construction companies.
A father of four children, Sellars was a member of New Life Worship Center.
Greenwood Police Assistant Chief Mike Butler said Holloway and Williams are being held in the Greenwood County Detention Center. Bond was set at $50,000 for Williams, Butler said. A judge had yet to set Holloway’s bond Thursday afternoon.

Police: Man confesses to several burglaries

July 7, 2006

By MEGAN VARNER
Of The Index-Journal staff

Police officers who were performing a property check Wednesday at a business on South Main Street say they caught a would-be burglar in the act, and officials said Thursday they think the man is connected with several other burglaries in the area during the past week.
Bobby Dean Lightsey, 19, of 110 Young St., Greenwood, has been arrested and charged with six counts of second-degree burglary and four counts of petit larceny.
Greenwood Police Department reports said an officer on patrol Wednesday night walked around a hardware store on South Main Street, where he spotted a man standing behind the building.
According to the report, the officer asked the man what he was doing behind the building and the man did not respond. When questioned a second time, the man told the officer he was going to “break in again,” the report said. The officer asked the man if he had broken in earlier in the week, and the man said “yes.”
Police found gray work gloves, a glass cutter and a pair of flashlights in the man’s front pockets, and the man gave a taped statement admitting to the burglary and several others in the area, the report said.
On Monday, officers responded to a report of a burglary at the same hardware store that occurred some time between Sunday night and Monday morning.
The owner said someone had used a cinder block to shatter a large window at the store, and, once inside, the person took a plastic candy case and money from the front counter and office, a report said.
Greenwood Police Assistant Chief Mike Butler said the man also confessed to burglaries that occurred at churches and other businesses in the area between June 30 and the day of his arrest.

GHS announces next hall of fame class

July 7, 2006

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal sports writer

Almost any athlete who graces the field of competition at the high school level dreams of one day being honored for great achievements in his respective sport.
A group of eight athletes will soon receive such an honor from Greenwood High School.
Greenwood has announced the 2006 inductees into its athletic hall of fame.
This year’s class will be the third group to be enshrined in the hall.
The eight inductees are: Sonny Byrd, Ben Coates, Tanner Cronic, Ernest Dye, Marty Dye, Kiebler James, Sammie Pickens and Lowndes Shingler.
The group will be honored Aug. 25 at halftime of the Greenwood-Emerald football game. There will be a reception for inductees and their families at 6 p.m. that night in the lobby at Greenwood High.
Past inductees and their spouses also are invited to the reception. The 2006 class certainly enjoyed its share of success in sports — at Greenwood and, in some cases, beyond.
Byrd graduated in 1944 and excelled in football. He was the captain and most valuable player on the 1943 team.
Byrd made the Shrine Bowl roster his senior year and, after a stint fighting in World War II, played football at Furman University, where he was team captain in 1948.
Coates reached the pinnacle of success in football. After graduating from Greenwood, where he was an all-region tight end and defensive lineman, he attended and played football and track for Livingston College.
In 1991, Coates was drafted by the New England Patriots of the NFL. He played in Super Bowl XXXI with the Patriots, then played in, and won, Super Bowl XXXV with the Baltimore Ravens.
Coates finished his NFL career with 499 receptions for 5,555 yards. He is now a tight ends coach with the Cleveland Browns.
Cronic was an outstanding track performer with the Eagles.
The 1980 Greenwood graduate lettered in track four years. He was named team captain twice and earned the MVP for field events three times.
In 1980, Cronic won a state championship with a distance of 50 feet, 3 1/2 inches in the triple jump. That distance was best in the nation for high school athletes in 1980.
Cronic continued his career at the University of Florida, where he is still No. 3 on the school’s all-time list in the indoor triple jump and No. 2 in the outdoor triple jump.
Ernest Dye is another Eagle who eventually went on to play in the NFL, but not before enjoying a colorful career at Greenwood.
The 1989 graduate was named MVP of the defensive line in 1987 and MVP of the offensive line in 1988.
He played in the Shrine Bowl in 1988.
After graduating from Greenwood, Dye played for Itawamba Community College for two season, then transferred to the University of South Carolina. He was chosen to the All-SEC team in 1992.
In 1993, Dye was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the first round of the NFL draft.
He later received the Ed Block Courage Award and the Lloyd Herberg Courageous Player Award.
Marty Dye had an outstanding football career with the Eagles. The 1987 graduate was Greenwood’s MVP on the defensive line in 1985.
In 1986, he was named to the All-Area team and the All-State team. He was also honored as an All-American by the National High School Coaches Association. He was the defensive MVP of the 1986 Shrine Bowl.
He was also a four-year letterman on the University of South Carolina football squad. He appeared in the motion picture “The Program” in 1993.
James, a 1958 graduate, was a three-sport athlete who lettered in football, baseball and basketball. Solid in all three sports, he excelled in baseball.
He batted .426 in his senior year with the Eagles. However, he kicked it into high gear with Post 20 that summer.
He batted .385 with the Legion team and was a pitcher, leading the squad to the Legion World Series in Colorado Springs, Colo.
James was named National American Legion Player of the Year for his efforts that summer. He went on to play baseball for Clemson University.
Pickens, a 1960 graduate, was a four-sport standout for the Eagles, competing in football, baseball, track and basketball.
Pickens played on the 1957 and ’59 state championship football teams.
He lettered two years in basketball and was team captain in ’59. He set then-school records in track in the long jump, high jump, mile relay and medley relay.
Pickens played football for Furman University, where he once returned an interception 95 yards. He also played baseball for the Paladins, making the All-Southern Conference team in 1962.
Shingler was a standout football player for the Eagles.
Shingler, a 1957 graduate, helped lead the 1955 Eagles squad to a 12-0 record and a state championship. He also played in the ’56 Shrine Bowl.
Shingler went on to play for Clemson and was named the MVP of the Bluebonnet Bowl in 1959.
Shingler, a quarterback, was first team All-ACC in 1960. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys and the Oakland Raiders, but instead entered the Army.

Opinion

North Korea’s ‘testing’ indicts U. N. once again

July 7, 2006

The world has become so technologically intertwined that if something happens thousands of miles away it can and very often does grab the headlines in newspapers all over South Carolina. North Korea’s “testing” of missiles illustrates that reality as well as anything.
The U.S. has, of course, spent years working with other nations to rein in that Communist nation’s nuclear program. It’s leader, though, has repeatedly thumbed his nose at us and demonstrated a marked disdain for even trying to get along with the rest of the world. The arrogance and threatening nature of Kim Jong-Il has been clearly evident in the missile test dispute.

THAT HAS CREATED YET another debate in the United Nations about what to do. Japan, the U.S. and others want to consider tough sanctions to put the squeeze on North Korea. Once again, though, Russia and China have balked at that. That, as it should, shows the lack of resolve, influence, power and indeed the effectiveness of the United Nations.
Some argue, though, that despite the recalcitrance of some it would be a more dangerous world without the temperance of the U.N. The fact that a forum exists to accommodate diplomacy reduces the stress and conflict that could be worse than it is, U. N. believers insist.
That may be so ... to some degree. History proves, though, that the U. N. has become an expensive habit that does very little to solve problems. We have seen too many times how U. N. resolutions and sanctions are ignored. When that happens, of course, the U. N. becomes a paper tiger that nobody heeds.

IN FACT, THERE HAS BEEN so much corruption uncovered within the U. N. that its effectiveness is exponentially diminished time and again.
There are continuing problems around the world that the U.N. was established to help solve. It has failed too many times,though, for it to be taken seriously by outlaws like North Korea, Iran and people like Saddam Hussein. That begs the question. Why continue throwing millions of dollars into an organization that has done more to perpetuate itself than being a force for good.
Maybe the world is better off because of the U.N. But, then, maybe not. The fecklessness that defines U. N. integrity speaks more to a lack of respect and ineffectiveness than anything else

Obituaries

Jimmie ‘Jake’ Anderson Jr.

ANDERSON — Jimmie “Jake” Anderson Jr., of Brookside Nursing Center, died Tuesday, July 4, 2006 at AnMed Health.
Born in Anderson County, he was a son of the late Mary Benson and Jimmie Anderson Sr.
He retired from Chiquola Mills and was a World War II Army veteran.
Survivors include eight children, Richard Anderson and Anthony Sullivan, both of Anderson, Don, Stanley and Gregory Anderson and Jean Smith, all of Honea Path, Brenda Rogers, Greenville, Thomas Smith of New Orleans; three sisters, Lydia Robinson and Betty E. Smith, both of Honea Path, Margaret Holmes of Baltimore.
Services are 1 p.m. Saturday at Robinson-Walker Funeral Service, Ware Shoals. Burial is in Liberty Baptist Church Cemetery.
Viewing begins at 12 today and visitation is 12:30-1 Saturday, at the funeral home.
The family is at the home of a sister Lydia Robinson, 7 Railroad St., Honea Path.
Robinson-Walker Funeral Service is in charge.

James Cannady

McCORMICK — Services for James Cannady are at noon Saturday at Bethlehem Church of God Holiness, officiated by Bishop James C. Taylor, assisted by the Revs. Chuck Smallwood, James Price, J.P. Williams, E.M. Gordon and Elder Willie Moton. The body will be placed in the church at 11. Burial with military rites is in Overbrook Cemetery.
Pallbearers are Marcus Cannady, Tony Cannady, Terrelle Cannady, James D. Cannady, Thomas Williams and Raynard Gilliard.
Flower bearers are granddaughters and nieces.
Visitation is after 10 a.m. today until 11 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home.
The family is at the home, Hammond Street.
Walker Funeral Home is in charge.

Tommy Cason

HODGES, SC — Tommy Cason, 60, of 107 North Hodges Rd., husband of Wilma Edwards, died on July 5, 2006 at his home. He was born in Hodges, SC to Gladys Cason and the late Thomas Cason. Mr. Cason served his country proudly in the United States Army. He was a 1964 graduate of Brewer High and was employed by Fuji Film.
Survivors include his wife of the home; two brothers, Charles Cason of Hodges, SC and Bobby Cason of Kentucky; two sisters Mrs. Arthur (Dorothy) Coleman and Sarah Boozer both of Hodges; a step-son Rev. Keith (Lisa) Cromer of Greenwood and a step-daughter Toyka Verner of Hodges and two step-grandchildren.
The family is at the home, 107 N. Hodges Rd., Hodges, SC.
Funeral services will be announced later by Percival-Tompkins Funeral Home.
Online condolences: pertompfh1@earthlink.net.
PAID OBITUARY

Ester Lee Lott Jenkins

WILLISTON — Ester Lee Lott Jenkins, 65, wife of Luther H. Jenkins, died on Wednesday, July 5, 2006 in Aiken Regional Hospital.
Born in Saluda County, she was a daughter of the late Otis and Nora Lee Gibson Lott. She was owner and operator of New York Fashions and Things, Williston, and a member Mount Everest Worship Center.
Survivors include her husband of the home; two sons, Thomas K. Jenkins of Washington, D.C., and Tony K. Jenkins of Prince George, Md.; a sister, Otis Mae Gardnes of Elko; two grandchildren.
Services are 3 p.m. Sunday at Bethlehem Baptist Church, Saluda, conducted by Elder Willie J. Hunter. Burial is in the church cemetery.
Pallbearers and flower bearers are cousins.
The family is at the home, 704 Phyllis St.
Butler & Sons Funeral Home, Saluda, is in charge.

Jerry Ledbetter

Gerald Timothy “Jerry” Ledbetter, 64, of 310 Fawnbrook Drive, husband of Elizabeth Streetman Ledbetter, died Wednesday, July 5, 2006 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Holly Hill, he was a son of the late John W. and Louise Randall Ledbetter. He was a Greenwood High School graduate, attended Gordon Military School and was a Navy veteran. Former owner of Ledbetter’s Pest Control Inc. in Greenwood, he was a member of the Greenwood Smokers Barbecue Team, a certified barbecue judge and a former member of Greenwood Jaycees. He was of the Baptist faith.
Survivors include his wife of the home; a son, Tim Ledbetter of the home; three stepdaughters, Deborah McAllister, Deanna Willis and Rebecca Whitt, all of Greenwood; two sisters, Janet Gambrell of Abbeville and Barbara Massey of Starr; a brother, Bill Ledbetter of Summerville; three grandsons.
Graveside services are 2 p.m. today at Greenwood Memorial Gardens, officiated by the Rev. Frank Thomas.
Visitation is 12:30-1:30 today at Blyth Funeral Home.
The family is at the home.
Memorials may be made to Federation Center of the Blind, 1103 N. Harper St., Laurens, SC 29360.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.blythfuneralhome.com

James Moore

McCORMICK — Service for James Moore are 3 p.m. Saturday at Shiloh AME Church, with the Rev. James Louden presiding and Minister Paula Moore assisting. The body will be placed in the church at 2. Burial with military rites is in the church cemetery.
Pallbearers are Gil Harper Jr., Curtis Sibert, Albert Brown, Kent Tatum and Terrick Tolbert. Flower bearers are grandchildren and nieces.
Honorary escorts are members of Bethany Masonic Lodge No. 415.
Visitation is from 10 a.m. today until 2 p.m. Saturday at Walker Funeral Home.
The family is at the home, 170 Paul Freeman Sr. Road.
Walker Funeral Home is in charge.

Charles Cornelius Norman

ABBEVILLE — Services for Charles Cornelius Vashawn Norman are 2 p.m. Saturday at St. Paul AME Church, conducted by the Rev. J.J. Robertson. The body will be placed in the church at 1. Burial is in Tabernacle AME Cemetery.
The family is at the home of his mother, 722 White Oak Lane, Greenwood, and at his home, 110 Spencer St.
Brown and Walker Funeral Home is in charge.

Bud Pendergrass

GREENWOOD — George Edward “Bud” Pendergrass, 74, resident of 113 Crestmont Drive, husband of Ann Ray Pendergrass, died July 6, 2006 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Greenwood County, March 28, 1932, he was a son of the late George E. Pendergrass, Sr. and Edna Harling Marx. He was a graduate of Greenwood High School and The Citadel. Mr. Pendergrass retired in 1974 from the US Air Force with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He flew combat missions in Vietnam and served as an Aerospace Physiologist. He was a recipient of the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service and the Wiley Post Awards. In 1974, he returned to Greenwood where he owned and operated the family clothing business.
Bud was a long time Boy Scout where he obtained the rank of Eagle and was recipient of the Silver Beaver Award. He also served in various capacities within the District and Council level of scouting.
A member of Main Street United Methodist Church, he was also a member of American Legion Post #20, Voiture #435 of the 40 & 8 and the Greenwood Lions Club.
Surviving in addition to his wife of the home are a daughter, Carol P. Bennett of Rock Hill and a son, Jay E. and wife, Rhonda J. Pendergrass of Greenwood; two grandsons, Larkin and Jones Pendergrass and a half-sister, Gail Pendergrass of Greenwood; a brother-in-law, Robert R. “Bobby” Ray, II of Greenwood.
Mr. Pendergrass was prede-ceased by a sister, Barbara Ann Pendergrass.
Funeral services will be conducted at 2 pm Saturday at Main Street United Methodist Church with Rev. James Dennis officiating.
Burial with military honors will be in Edgewood Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Nick Anagnost, Bob Barmore, Tom Chandler, Frankie Connell, Bill Talbert, Jim Talbert, Tom Workman, Jim Youngblood, Robert Ray III and Palmer D. Ray.
Honorary escort will be members of American Legion Post #20 and Voiture #435 of the 40 & 8 along with Robert Gaskin and John Albert Williams.
The body is at Blyth Funeral Home and will be placed in the church at 1 PM Saturday. The family is at the home in Edgemere and will receive friends at the funeral home from 6-8 Friday evening.
The family request that flowers be omitted and memorials be made to Main Street United Methodist Church, 211 N. Main Street, Greenwood, SC 29646, American Legion Post #20 Building Fund, 1310 E. Cambridge Ave., Greenwood, SC 29646 or to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, 37 Villa Rd. (B111), Greenville, SC 29615.
For online condolences please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is in charge.
PAID OBITUARY

Dorothy ‘Dot’ Williams

NINETY SIX — Dorothy Prince “Dot” Williams, 84, resident of 7506 Highway 246 South, widow of Grady “Pete” Williams, died July 6, 2006 at her home.
Born November 23, 1921 in Keo, Arkansas, she was a daughter of the late William Icing and Chessie Dale Clarke Prince. She was a homemaker and member of Good Hope Baptist Church in Saluda.
Surviving are two daughters, Bernice Williams of the home and Judy Baird of Greenwood; two sons, Russell Williams of Myrtle Beach and Johnny Williams of Waterloo; ten grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
She is predeceased by two sons, Tommy Williams and Buster Williams.
Funeral services will be conducted at 11:00 a.m. Saturday at Good Hope Baptist Church in Saluda with Rev. Steve Justice officiating.
Burial will be in First Mt. Moriah Baptist Church Cemetery in Greenwood.
Pallbearers will be Chris Williams, Tim Williams, Charlie Williams, Rusty Williams, Matthew Baird, Ed Rushton, Ralph Prince and Joel Fraser.
Honorary escort will be Earl Jester, Ray Williams, Jeanette Lell, Billy Rushton, Myrna Watkins, Frances Davis, Jimmy, Judy and Brian Butler, Dean and Jamie Butler, Pickens Polatty, May Parkman, Fay Parkman, Edelphia Rushton, Ansel Garrett, Jo and Rudy Grimes.
The family is at the home on Highway 246 and will receive friends at Blyth Funeral Home from 7 to 9 Friday evening.
Memorials may be made to Good Hope Baptist Church Missions Fund, 1738 Greenwood Highway, Saluda, SC 29138.
To make online condolences or for additional information please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Service is assisting the Williams family.
PAID OBITUARY