Sumter woman found guilty as accessory in ‘evil’ slaying Weeklong trial after 2011 shooting ends with 12-year sentence SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2014
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SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 2 SECTIONS, 16 PAGES | VOL. 120, NO. 16
BY MATT BRUCE matthew@theitem.com A Sumter woman was convicted of accessory after the fact to murder Friday and sen-
tenced to 12 years in prison. Circuit Court Judge George James Jr. sentenced London Kelley at the culmination of a five-day murder trial that took place this
week at Sumter County Courthouse. The jury found Kelley guilty of one of three charges KELLEY
SEE TRIAL, PAGE A7
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Spooktacular evening
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MATT WALSH / THE SUMTER ITEM
Randy Childers trick-or-treats at the Sumter County Library’s Halloween Spooktacular on Halloween night. The event at the Wesmark branch provided games, crafts, food, candy and face painting for children who visited for the holiday.
Turn your clocks back 1 hour tonight
Preserving Sumter history, Carnegie Library’s legacy
DEATHS, A7
Penny sales tax ‘yes’ vote would promote area’s archives, military exhibits
Freddie Mickel Paul H. Sanok III Georgia Mae Weeks
Daisy Brogdon Annie Bradham
BY JOE KEPLER joe@theitem.com
WEATHER, A8 SOME RAIN TODAY Cooler with a bit of rain; clear and chilly tonight HIGH 52, LOW 36
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Local officials would like to showcase the area’s military history by utilizing one of Sumter’s historic buildings, the Carnegie Library. Located at the corner of Church and West Liberty streets, the Carnegie Library represents one of 2,509 libraries funded through the Carnegie Corp. of New York. Steel magnate Andrew Carnegie set aside $56 million to help build libraries around the world before he died in 1919. Forty-seven states and seven foreign countries benefited from it. In South Carolina, 13 libraries from Spartanburg to Beaufort received a grant from Carnegie’s foundation, but only five still use the buildings as libraries. Sumter County Library moved out of the building at 219 W. Liberty St. in 1968. The building has since been used for everything from an art gallery to a home for the genealogi-
JOE KEPLER / THE SUMTER ITEM
The Carnegie Library has had many uses since the library moved out in 1968, but it currently is empty. Officials from the city and county are hoping to find a way to put this historic building to good use through maintenance and other work possibly funded by a renewed penny sales tax being voted on Tuesday. cal society, which started in 1994 but recently relocated to the county museum, leaving the building empty. Sumter County Museum cur-
rently owns the building, and county administrator Gary Mixon said he hopes to make the whole
SEE CARNEGIE, PAGE A7
You can help make someone’s holiday cheerful with donations Charity’s seasonal projects return for residents in need BY JADE REYNOLDS jade@theitem.com The holidays would not have been possible last year for one mother of four if it wasn’t for Sumter United Ministries.
A medical condition left Shelia unable to work. The Christian nonprofit’s Giving Thanks Thanksgiving Box and Help an Angel Fly programs made it possible to provide her family a meal in November and presents in December for the children ranging in age from 1 to 20. “It meant a lot to me and my kids,” Shelia said (to protect her identity, The Sumter Item chose not to use her
full name). “I hate I couldn’t provide because of the situation, but I’m very, very thankful for the ministry.” Each year, Sumter United Ministries prepares 150 boxes with everything needed for a Thanksgiving dinner, said Mark Champagne, executive director of the ministry, and for Christmas, the charity normally helps between 90 and 115 families. “We see people in crisis all year,”
he said. “People like to help, especially during the holidays. We have already interviewed the clients, and we know their situations. So why not give the community an opportunity to help with a Thanksgiving dinner or provide some Christmas gifts?” Starting Monday, people can help
SEE HOLIDAYS, PAGE A7