Criminal Defense Lawyer in Barnwell, SC

Barnwell couldn’t stay out of its own way early Friday night, leading to a first-quarter deficit at Aiken High in a matchup of two football teams loaded with youth.

The Warhorses corrected themselves from there, stepping aside to allow themselves the opportunity to be successful. Aiken, on the other hand, continued to fight against a current it created until the very end.

Barnwell scored 26 consecutive points in a 26-12 win that is the Warhorses’ second in a row and third of the season, a no-pictures-on-the-scorecard kind of victory for Brian Smith, who in his first year at Barnwell is also the golf coach. Aiken is still searching for its first win under Dwayne Garrick.

“I felt good about us all night. I thought our kids were executing and playing well, but it was a couple mistakes here and there,” Smith said. “We came out in the second half and did some of the things that we do, and we didn’t beat Barnwell tonight. That’s the big thing is you can’t beat Barnwell. I’ve said it every week, we can’t beat ourselves. We’re still young, and we’re still learning. But our kids are fighting hard, and I love their effort. I love being around them, and I love coaching them every day.”

Barnwell (3-2) was quickly facing a 12-0 deficit after a rough start that included a three-and-out on the offense’s first possession, followed by a quick kickoff recovered by Aiken (0-5) after scoring 4:41 into the game.

Luke Jones put the Hornets on the board with a 1-yard touchdown run, and then Jahnari Mole ran in from 12 yards out as Aiken took advantage of the short field for a 12-0 lead with 4:15 left in the first quarter.

But that was all of the scoring for Aiken, as the Hornets’ remaining drives ended with either punts or turnovers.

“Got to keep grinding. Got to keep working, you know what I’m saying?,” Garrick said. “Got to keep trying to get a little better each week. We’re struggling up front, trying to run the ball and protect. If you’ve got one phase of the game, you can kind of sneak the other one in there a little bit. When you can’t do either one, and there’s where it all starts, and that’s where we’ve got to get better.

“We’ve got to get better in the weight room. We’re young, so it’s a combination of a lot of things. They’re pretty good kids, and they work pretty hard. We need time, you know what I mean? Time to try to get the process going and try to get a little better. Main thing is we’ve got to get stronger.”

Barnwell quarterback Cameron Austin started the game 0-for-6 passing - “with like eight drops,” Smith quipped - but heated up after a late hit on the Barnwell sideline following a 10-yard run. Austin completed four of his next five passes on the drive, the last one a 21-yard touchdown to Logan Sturkie with 8:04 left in the quarter to pull the Warhorses within 12-10.

Austin finished the game 9-for-18 for 100 yards, and he also ran it 14 times for 42 yards plus two successful two-point conversions. Sturkie was his top target, catching seven passes for 83 yards and the score. Jaquan and Jordan Peeples each rushed for 47 yards and a second-half touchdown as the Warhorses put the game away.

“We’re going to play every week as well as Cameron plays,” Smith said. “We call a bunch of pass plays, and with what we do there’s going to do some drops. It’s just like when you run the option back in the old days, the ball’s on the ground some. Well, we don’t want them, but you’re going to see them on Saturday and you’re going to see them on Sunday. Our kids know they’re going to work hard this week to get rid of that. We pride ourselves on that. It’s just our mistakes, and we’ve got to get better at it.”

Jones went 13-for-28 for 138 yards and two interceptions, one by Sturkie and one by Kahzeer Wesley, and several of his pass attempts went to receivers who weren’t looking for the ball. Mole was the Hornets’ leading rusher with 45 yards on 11 carries, but as a team Aiken rushed for just 85 yards on 30 attempts. Cam’ron Frazier was Aiken’s leading receiver with 58 yards on four catches.

“We got behind the chains a couple times. Whether it was getting hit in the end zone, or I think we had a bad snap or two,” Garrick said. “We’re not good enough to get 15 yards. It’s all we can do to get 10 yards. We definitely aren’t good enough to get 15 or 18, so we can’t play behind the chains. Outside of that, it is what it is. Just keep grinding. It’s a process, as much as I keep having to say that word. I get tired of saying that word, to tell you the truth.”

BARNWELL — A pledge made as freshmen came true Wednesday morning for four seniors from Barnwell High School’s powerhouse football program.

Team captains Jaden James, Maurice Odom, Clay Pender and Tyler Smith dreamed of the moment when they would sign to play college football - and they dreamed of doing it together. They did that Wednesday in the school gymnasium.

The linebacker duo of James and Odom will remain together at Limestone, Pender will reunite with older brother Craig at Erskine, and Smith will continue a family tradition by heading to South Carolina State.

For James, Limestone offered an opportunity to grow not just as a player but also as an individual, plus the chance to build bonds like the ones he’s forged in high school.

James has done a bit of everything for the Warhorses, bringing his high-intensity playing style to the outside linebacker, tight end and H-back positions while also contributing on special teams. An All-State selection and the Region 6-AA H-back of the Year, James accounted for 100 tackles (eight for loss), 51 assists and five sacks as a senior.

He intends to study sports management at Limestone, where he and Odom will be able to lean on each other academically and athletically as they continue on as teammates.

“I mean, that’s my boy for sure,” James said. “It’s going to be us conquering another level.”

Odom echoed those sentiments, asserting that together they’re going to make something happen at Limestone. He said that signing felt like a weight lifted off his shoulders as years of hard work turned into a chance to play at the next level.

“As a kid, I dreamed of this,” he said. “As kids we all dreamed of this, playing football in the backyard. Going to the next level, going to college, going to the NFL.”

A National Honor Society and Beta Club member, Odom will study nursing in college. He said Limestone simply felt like home, and the Saints’ desire to win mirrored his own.

Like James, Odom has stood out as a high-energy talent for the Warhorses at inside linebacker, tight end, H-back and on special teams. The Region 6-AA Linebacker of the Year and an All-State selection, Odom is also a finalist for Aiken Standard Defensive Player of the Year after accounting for 124 tackles (eight for loss), five forced fumbles, three sacks and three blocked field goals.

Pender truly did do it all for Barnwell, earning All-State honors at multiple positions throughout his high school career. He starred at wide receiver and defensive back, handled kicking duties and was the backup quarterback when the Warhorses went into the Wishbone, and he proved to be a threat to score any time the ball was in his hands.

He’ll play wide receiver at Erskine, though he said he told the Flying Fleet coaching staff that he’s willing to line up wherever to make plays. He felt like he had more of an influence on his brother transferring back to Erskine than Craig did on him to sign there, and they’ll have the opportunity to be teammates again rather than adversaries.

“Maybe if I was playing DB so I could pick him off or something,” he said with a laugh. “If I was playing wide receiver somewhere else, I would just have to watch him throw touchdowns. That would’ve been a little disappointing.”

Pender, like Odom a member of the National Honor Society and Beta Club, is leaning toward studying sports management.

The Region 6-AA Wide Receiver of the Year, he averaged 19 yards per catch and had 736 yards and 12 touchdowns on 37 total touches. At defensive back, he had 10 career interceptions, and as a sophomore he was the Region Specialist of the Year.

Smith has done nothing but set the bar for himself higher over the course of the last two seasons, and each time the Warhorses’ star running back cleared that bar with room to spare - he is the reigning Class AA state champion in the high jump, after all.

One of seven seniors chosen as a finalist for the state’s coveted Mr. Football award, Smith is joining the tradition-rich program at South Carolina State while also continuing a proud family tradition of attending the school. He intends to study athletic training.

The numbers speak for themselves. As a senior he rushed for 2,903 yards and 46 touchdowns, bringing his two-year totals to 5,054 and 74 scores. He’s ranked among the nation’s top backs in terms of yardage and touchdowns, and with those numbers has come a lot of recognition.

In addition to being named a Mr. Football finalist, he’s been a multi-time All-Region performer in basketball, football and track - twice an All-State pick in the latter two. He was named a North-South all-star, the Region 6-AA Player of the Year, the Class AA Lower State Offensive Player of the Year and is again a finalist for Aiken Standard Offensive Player of the Year.

“Crazy. Crazy, just shocking,” he said. “A guy like me from a small-town school like this right here, I never thought I’d be in that situation. That’s all I can say.”

This group helped lead Barnwell to an undefeated regular season as seniors, and the year before they reached the state semifinals.

“I’m happy for them. Happy for the families. Not happy for me, because they’re gone,” said Barnwell head coach Dwayne Garrick. “They’ve been the core and the nucleus of this program for the last three years, especially. Great football players. Did what they had to academically to give themselves a chance to be successful. Kind of sad to see them go, but at the same time happy for them. Happy for them for the next four or five years in their lives, and the doors that this is going to open for them to be successful.

Daily Covid-19 admissions in the Barnwell County area

About the data

Data is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hospitalization data is a daily average of Covid-19 patients in hospital service areas that intersect with Barnwell County, an area which may be larger than Barnwell County itself.

The number of daily hospital admissions shows how many patients tested positive for Covid in hospitals and is one of the most reliably reported indicators of Covid’s impact on a community.

Total population

Ages 65 and up

Total population

Ages 65 and up

An updated vaccine is recommended for adults and most children. Statewide, 7% of vaccinations did not specify a home county.

Nearby hospitals

Share of I.C.U. beds occupied

About this data Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Notes: The hospitals map shows the average I.C.U. occupancy at nearby hospitals in the most recent week with data reported. The data is self-reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by individual hospitals. It excludes counts from hospitals operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Indian Health Service. Numbers for hospitalized patients are based on inpatient beds and include I.C.U. beds. Hospitalized Covid-19 patients include both confirmed and suspected Covid-19 patients. The C.D.C. stopped reporting data on cases in May 2023.

How trends have changed in Barnwell County

About this data Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Notes: Weekly county death data prior to Jan. 2021 was not reported by the C.D.C. and is sourced from reporting by The New York Times. Hospitalization data is a weekly average of Covid-19 patients in hospital service areas that intersect with Barnwell County. Hospitalization numbers early in the pandemic are undercounts due to incomplete reporting by hospitals to the federal government.

Historical trends in Barnwell County

The data in these charts has been archived and they are no longer being updated.

About this data Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data in these charts has been archived and they are no longer being updated. Weekly county case data prior to Jan. 2021 was not reported by the C.D.C. and is sourced from reporting by The New York Times. The C.D.C. stopped reporting data on cases in May 2023. Test positivity data is based only on test results reported to the federal government and is a seven-day average.

By Jon Huang, Samuel Jacoby, Jasmine C. Lee, John-Michael Murphy, Charlie Smart and Albert Sun. Additional reporting by Sarah Cahalan, Lisa Waananen Jones, Amy Schoenfeld Walker and Josh Williams. See a full list of contributors to The Times’s Covid-19 data reporting here.

About the data

Data on this page is reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Population and demographic data is from the U.S. Census Bureau. Hospitalization data is reported by individual hospitals to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and it includes confirmed and suspected adult and pediatric patients. The C.D.C. does not provide complete vaccinations data for some counties and caps its vaccination rate figures at 95 percent.

The C.D.C. may make historical updates as more data is reported.

The C.D.C. stopped reporting data on Covid cases in May 2023.

BARNWELL, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - The family of Regina Arroyo is still searching for answers weeks after her body was found in the North Fork Edisto River in Lexington County.

Arroyo went missing on Dec. 1 and her body was found on Dec. 3.

She was an advocate for animal welfare and ran a transportation service that rescued animals from kill shelters.

“She really had the biggest heart,” said Mindy Chrysler, Regina’s daughter. “‘I love you always. I’ll see you later.’ That was always her thing.”

Regina had five children. Chrysler said Regina would always leave notes for them every time she would visit.

MORE | Missing mom’s loved ones hope she won’t be ‘another statistic’

“Never thought that there would be this day where I wasn’t going to see her again,” said Chrysler.

The last time Chrysler texted her mom was on Thanksgiving. Around that time, Regina was doing a pet transportation. Shortly after, her family reported her missing.

“After the first day and there was still no sign of her, I knew that something horrible had happened and she wasn’t going to be coming home,” said Chrysler.

Chrysler’s instincts were right. At the beginning of December, authorities showed up at her doorstep to let her know her mom was dead.

Oops! Something went wrong.

An unexpected error occurred. Please see our support page (0: error)

“I don’t even remember what my first thought was,” said Chrysler. “I was crying and then I heard my daughter crying. I couldn’t process anything really.”

The fact that she’ll never hear her mom’s voice or have another phone call with her is what hurts the most.

“I just miss her saying that it’s gonna be ok because right now I don’t know if it’s gonna be ok,” said Chrysler.

The one thing that keeps her going is those small reminders from her mom.

“That’s always been her thing. You just can’t give up, you got to keep trying and it’s going to work,” said Chrysler.

Copyright 2023 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A deadly shooting in Barnwell took the life of a young mother and her unborn 4-month-old baby.

21-year-old Jasmine Roach was planning the rest of her life and looking to bring her baby girl into the world.

Now her family is trying to navigate the tough loss of not only their daughter, but the granddaughter they never got the chance to meet.

“I just feel bad not being able to hear from her. She would just pop up at my house and now I can’t get that no more,” said Shauna Merritt, Roach’s sister.

Merritt says her sister was funny, spoiled, and a homebody with a sweet tooth.

“We use to eat, ride, and travel. She use to call me all the time, ‘Let’s go to Crumbl Cookie,’” said Merritt.

Even though there is a 16 year age gap between the two, Merritt says they hardly ever spent a day apart.

“That was my best friend. We did everything together,” said Merritt.

When Roach walked out of her home five days ago for a get together, she didn’t know it would be their last time together.

“She made us a little group on messenger with me, her, and my mom and called it ‘slow trio.’ She always had jokes. The last message we got from our sister was around 11:30 p.m.,” said Merritt.

Reports from Barnwell law enforcement show less than an hour later, someone opened fire at the gathering Roach was at.

Shots rang out, hitting seven people and killing Jasmine and her unborn baby girl, Kinsley Dior.

Jasmine’s father, Sammie, said: “I was just waiting for her to be running through this house. Now she won’t be running here, but she’s running up there.”

Her mother, Tina Sapp, said the only way they are making it through is faith.

“If I break down, I don’t think nothing would really get done. So, I push myself up and pray God give me the strength,” said Sapp.

Never resting until justice is served for Jasmine and Kinsley.

“I’m not gonna give up on my sister. I just want to find out who did this. They need to pay for what they did,” said Merritt.

The case is still an open investigation and has been turned over to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

There is a $500 reward for any information that will lead to an arrest.

Copyright 2023 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.