Across South Carolina

Inmates caught after three-day manhunt

COLUMBIA - Two inmates who escaped from a maximum-security prison were captured Thursday shortly after noon after a three-day manhunt, according to the State Law Enforcement Division.

Jimmy Causey, 35, a convicted kidnapper, and Johnny Brewer, 39, a convicted murderer, were apprehended at Palms Motel in Ridgeland along Interstate 95, SLED Chief Robert Stewart said.

Chief Stewart would not immediately release details of the capture but said the men were being taken back to Columbia.

Workers in the area near the motel said helicopters were in the sky and men were led away in handcuffs.

A pizza delivery driver says she tipped off authorities when she recognized a customer as one of the two men being sought by authorities.

Mental report done on stabbing suspect

ROCK HILL - The attorney for a 14-year-old boy accused in the stabbing death of a Lancaster girl nearly a year ago says his client's court-ordered mental evaluation is complete.

A court hearing is scheduled for January to report the evaluation's findings and determine whether the boy should be tried as an adult, officials said.

The body of 12-year-old Jessica Mora was found in December near Fort Lawn. She had been stabbed 20 times.

Two men also have been charged in the case, but police say the boy admitted to the stabbing. Mario Torres, then 18, and Alfonso Sanchez Caballero, then 20, are being held without bond at Chester County Detention Center, a detention official said Wednesday.

According to arrest warrants, the three knew the girl and discussed killing her for weeks.

Shoeless Joe's house wanted for TV show

GREENVILLE - A television show plans to renovate the former Greenville home of Shoeless Joe Jackson as a preservation project.

The show, Flip This House, searches for houses to buy and renovate in a few weeks, officials said. Dan Rawls has owned the home since 1998 and said he has no plans to sell.

The show's producers have scheduled a news conference today at the house.

Developers in Upstate plan 320-acre project

SIMPSONVILLE - Two Upstate developers are planning a $300 million mixed-use development in an area now covered by cotton fields.

Joe Jelks and Bryan Little of Jelks/Little LLC plan to develop 320 acres into a community of stores, cafes and businesses and up to 1,000 new homes.

Mr. Jelks said the multifamily and single family homes are tentatively priced from $155,000 to $475,000, and lots could be sold as early as 2006.