Across South Carolina

Cocaine dispute ends in death, police say

WALTERBORO - A Walterboro man collapsed in the middle of S.C. Highway 15 after he was shot during an argument over the price of crack cocaine, Colleton County deputies said.

James A. Thompson Jr., 27, died from a gunshot wound to his chest, Coroner Richard Harvey said.

Deputies arrested Melvin L. Daniels, 31, of Walterboro, and charged him with murder, according to Colleton County sheriff's Chief Deputy Ted Stanfield.

The shooting happened at about 2 a.m. Friday, Chief Deputy Stanfield said.

A woman who was with Mr. Thompson told investigators they were planning to buy crack from Mr. Daniels when they got into an argument and Mr. Daniels started firing a 9 mm pistol, deputies said.

Mr. Thompson and the woman ran into the street, where Mr. Thompson collapsed from the gunshot wounds.

2 casino operators accused of tax fraud

MYRTLE BEACH - A couple responsible for Star Dancer casino boat operations in Little River and Florida has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of tax fraud tied to more than $1 million in unpaid payroll taxes.

The 18-count indictment says Samuel Andrew Gray 65, and Marilyn D. Gray, 68, both of Duluth, Ga., withheld employee income taxes in 2001 and 2002 but never gave the funds to the Internal Revenue Service. Prosecutors say the taxes were supposed to be collected from between 200 and 300 employees.

Star Dancer operated out of Little River and Florida's Madeira Beach, Port Ritchie and Tarpon Springs.

USC considers new location for stadium

COLUMBIA - The University of South Carolina is considering other sites for its baseball stadium, adding to a list of issues that already have delayed the project.

University President Andrew Sorensen told a Columbia radio station that the city's concerns about parking have prompted USC officials to reconsider the Vista location, which has been the target site for nearly four months.

"We thought we had selected the site near the Colonial Center and also near the Vista that the city council would approve of," Mr. Sorensen said. "They've got some profound reservations about it, so we're exploring some other sites. We're hoping to have that issue resolved in the very near future."

University spokesman Russ McKinney would not identify the other potential locations, but said the sites were closer to USC's campus.

Despite Mr. Sorensen's comments, Mr. McKinney said the 8-acre tract of university-owned land is still the target location for the 6,800-seat stadium.