Storm erosion costs state park 2 cabins

BEAUFORT - Erosion made worse by a coastal storm and higher than normal tides forced the state to destroy two of its 14 cabins on Hunting Island.

The cabins and their supports were damaged beyond repair by the churning waters on the island, which faces some of the most serious erosion along South Carolina's coast.

On Wednesday and Thursday, crews tore down cabins No. 9 and 10, which were built in the 1950s, officials said.

The loss of the cabins will cost the state about $66,000 a year in rentals, said Marc Rapport, a spokesman for the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.

Troopers say mother hid cans in DUI wreck

SPARTANBURG - Troopers say they have charged the mother of a Spartanburg teen accused of huffing cans of aerosol cleaner with hiding the cans after her daughter's wreck.

Prosecutors say Kelly Furr made it to the scene of the wreck before troopers arrived last weekend and after finding out what happened, took the cans of air away before officers arrived.

Nineteen-year-old Heather Hewitt was injured in the crash along with five other people.

The mother has been charged with felony accessory after the fact, and her daughter is charged with felony driving under the influence.

Man gets deal after trial transcript is lost

YORK - A man once facing a life sentence for a 1997 shooting and robbery will instead spend 30 years behind bars because the transcript of his trial was never written.

A court last year tossed out the original murder conviction against 35-year-old Benjamin Foster because without the transcript, his lawyer couldn't make an argument for an appeal.

York County prosecutors planned to try Mr. Foster again, but they decided to accept a plea deal Thursday.

Mr. Foster was convicted of shooting and killing 21-year-old Bryan Wilson after the pair celebrated the Fourth of July together in 1997.

Judge throws out woman's statements

ABBEVILLE - A judge Friday threw out some statements made to police by a mother of a man sentenced to death for killing two law officers, including her saying she supported her son protecting their property.

Rita Bixby is scheduled to stand trial Oct. 22 on two counts of accessory before the act of murder, along with lying to police and conspiracy.

Prosecutors said she knew her son and husband were going to attack any law officer who came to their Abbeville home as part of a land dispute in December 2003 and left their home to protect the couple's disabled son.