Across South Carolina

Strong winds cut power to thousands

GREENVILLE - Wind gusts that topped 40 mph caused thousands of Upstate residents to lose power - just one month after an ice storm left many in the dark for a week.

Trees and limbs falling on power lines knocked out electrical service Saturday for about 6,600 of Duke Power's Upstate customers and 5,500 Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative customers.

By Sunday afternoon, most of Duke Power's remaining 7,000 outages were in North Carolina, a spokeswoman said.

No injuries were reported.

Man dies after being pinned by tractor, tree

MYRTLE BEACH - A Conway man died after being pinned between a fallen tree and a tractor.

Franklin Royals, 58, died of trauma about 6 p.m. Saturday at Grand Strand Regional Medical Center, Deputy Horry County Coroner Tamara Willard said.

Mr. Royals and a helper had cut down several large trees in his yard. They were cutting the trees with a chain saw, then using the tractor to guide the trees to where they wanted them to fall, said Todd Cartner, a spokesman for Horry County Fire Rescue.

A tree shifted and caused the tractor to overturn, wedging Mr. Royals between it and the tree.

Grocery owners to be deported in scheme

CHARLESTON - The former owners of a North Charleston grocery will be deported back to their native Jordan after funneling money through a tax evasion scheme, authorities said.

Brothers Amjad Kamleh, 34, and Shadi Kamleh, 26, pleaded guilty in August to devising and carrying out a scheme that allowed them to hide at least $100,000 in profits from a Red & White Grocery.

U.S. District Judge David Norton sentenced the two Jan. 3 to 11 months in prison, time already served in the Charleston County jail while awaiting trial.

Workers, customers chase down robber

BLUFFTON - A 20-year-old Beaufort County man was charged with robbing a restaurant after its employees and customers chased him down and beat him with tree branches and pool cues, police said.

Two men in ski masks with handguns came into Palomas Restaurant & Cantina about 11:30 p.m. Friday and took $170 as employees were cleaning up, Beaufort County Sheriff's Lt. Marvin Morrison said.

Gunshots and a waitress' scream alerted the brother of one of the restaurant's owners. He chased the robbers into the woods. An owner, employees and customers followed, according to the restaurant.