kitchen countertopsNear Moncks Corner, SC

MONCKS CORNER — A man suspected in his father’s death has been charged with destruction or removal of human remains.

Robert Lawrence Walker, 30, was taken into custody by the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office on July 16. He is currently being held at the Berkeley County jail on a $20,000 bond.

Sheriff’s deputies were called to the Lakewind Drive home in the Moss Grove subdivision of Moncks Corner where 64-year-old Robert Earl Walker lived. His stepdaughter and her boyfriend called 911 after they found the victim’s body under a pile of debris in the garage on July 15.

Walker’s stepdaughter told officers that she was concerned when she couldn’t reach him by phone for several days, so she and her boyfriend went to his home to check on him, according to an incident report.

The investigation is still ongoing and no additional information was immediately available.

NORTH CHARLESTON — As dusk fell the Saturday before Halloween, a coven of witches paraded through Park Circle, donning conical black hats and dark-colored clothing.

Instead of casting mischievous spells, this group of friendly witches passed out candy to children in the neighborhood.

Known as the Park Circle Witches Ride, this annual Halloween event focused on bringing the community together for an entertaining evening while supporting a cause. Each year, the event raises money for the Carolina Youth Development Center, an organization that supports foster children.

The event raised $900 this year, bringing the total to $6,000 since the witches ride started five years ago.

Cruising through Oak Terrace Preserve and nearby neighborhoods, the group of 30 witches rode bicycles decorated as broomsticks and golf carts with string lights, shouting “Happy Halloween” as they passed out candy to children standing outside their homes.

Some golf carts had skeletons as passengers, and there was even a headless horseman riding a bike with a plastic pumpkin mask over his face.

Sarah Cross, an Oak Terrace Preserve resident, drove a festive golf cart with purple Halloween-themed garland and pumpkin decorations during her third witches ride. She continues to be involved in the event each year because it’s a form of outreach in the community across various neighborhoods.

“We love to do anything that’s going to bring the kids out,” said Cross.

Laura Kate Whitney, a Park Circle resident who started the witches ride five years ago, had seen similar events in other cities and wanted to emulate the experience for her neighbors.

“It’s really an opportunity to bring community together in a really fun way and to do something like that, there had to be a beneficiary,” said Whitney.

Since CYDC’s North Charleston campus is close to her neighborhood, she used the witches ride as an opportunity to bring awareness to the organization. The witches were encouraged to raise money for the nonprofit, but it wasn’t a requirement to participate.

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One aspect of CYDC’s services includes residential group homes in North Charleston and Berkeley County where children stay if they are in need of a safe place to live. The North Charleston campus was the first stop of the witches ride to ensure the children at the CYDC home received candy.

Another facet of the organization is to provide preventative services for families in crisis, such as the Strengthening Families program where a family success coach works with parents and children to help stabilize the family, said Joseph Mooradian, the director of development at CYDC.

“We’re really looking in the future at adopting more of a preventative method of community-based intervention, making sure that we get the families in crisis before the kid is taken out of the home,” said Mooradian.

Over the last several years, Whitney said the witches ride has become a tradition for families in the neighborhood. She said one mother told her that her elementary-aged daughter looks forward to making her broom and costume for the event each year.

While Whitney has goals of continuing to grow the witches ride, she wants to make sure it’s as easy as possible for participants to be involved.

“My only hope is that we successfully raised money and people had fun, and I think we’ve been able to achieve that over the last couple of years,” said Whitney.

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MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (WCIV) — For Thomas Hamilton, Moncks Corner is home.

For nearly 30 years, Hamilton has resided within the community he's seen change with time. But when he heard that a plan was in place to build 88 homes, that was more change than he signed up for. So, when the local government voted no to the developer's plan to rezone Perry Hill, it was the outcome of Hamilton's hopes.

"It doesn't fit the fabric of Moncks Corner," Hamilton said with a subtle smile. "I'm so happy our council turned it down."

Moncks Corner: Local government curbs construction to keep local charm intact, and Thomas Hamilton, a long-time resident, shared his thoughts on the no-vote (WCIV).

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Underpinning Hamilton's reaction to the vote is a desire for Moncks Corner to stay small -- stay local. A place where big-box stores meet mom-and-pop shops, local eateries, and the culture cultivated through knowing the neighbors and saying hello to those seen in passing.

"I feel we can update and bring certain businesses to the area, but we really need to focus and support our smaller businesses in town," Hamilton said. "We don't want to become another Summerville with the congestion that they have. When I get to Moncks Corner, I want to enjoy moncks corner. I want to bring amenities to us to where we don't have to travel out."

And for those in local government, behind the vote to slow down building developments is a desire to understand the effects of construction on an intimate community.

"Council wants to pump the breaks a little on new construction to see how that impacts the town," said Michael Lockliear, Mayor of Moncks Corner. "We always try to put out the best product we can for the town. That is why we went through -- a couple years ago -- our ordinances to revamp and get the best product."

Read more: A finish worth the wait.

Hamilton plans to run for Mayor of Moncks Corner, and what is driving him is the insatiable desire to have his home feel like a place everyone who resides in it can recognize.

"I just want to have an all-inclusive Moncks Corner for everybody," he said.

And sometimes, that means saying no for now in the hopes of saying yes to something that better fits the community later.

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (WCIV) — Kay Beilstein, who has been living along Merrimack Boulevard since 2017, sees the construction of new townhomes right next door to her for about a year now - and is afraid of what they could possibly bring to her front yard.

"Because we live in the Lowcountry, we get a lot of rain," she said. "There's a lot of flooding in some areas and (when) these neighborhoods get built, they don't really take into consideration where that water is going to go."

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Beilstein says when it has rained in the past, water comes on to the streets washing dirt on to the roads. She believes the new development won't help the problem.

"Right now, (the water is) going to go right on to my property and flood my garage and driveway," Beilstein said. "Hopefully, not the rest of my yard, but it depends on how much rain we're going to get."

In response to these concerns, Moncks Corner officials said, "In reviewing the plans, it appears that on-site and off-site stormwater concerns were adequately addressed."

Kay Beilstein, who has been living along Merrimack Boulevard since 2017, sees the construction of new townhomes right next door to her for about a year now - and is afraid of what they could possibly bring to her front yard. (WCIV)

The approved plans show the entire subject property will catch, detain, and release the drainage to the two ponds the property will have installed. This is accomplished with catch basins in the proposed roads, fine grading around the building pads, and underground pipes running from various points around the property, leading to the central and southern stormwater devices.

The vast majority of water from the site is designed to flow south (away from 119 Merrimack Blvd) to the central pond, then to the southern pond, before discharging at the southern edge of the property into an existing 45-foot drainage easement, according to the approved plans.

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Despite this new development coming, Beilstein hopes it won't change the area she loves.

"I'm not looking forward to it," she said. "I do really enjoy my neighbors and my home, but I feel like the town hasn't really taken into consideration that they're ruining our neighborhood for a little bit of money."

Winning for the sixth straight game since dropping its opener in the Dixie Youth 12U O-Zone state tournament, Moncks Corner edged Greer, 2-1, in the championship game at the Moncks Corner Regional Recreation Complex July 14.

The host team secured two victories on the final day of the tournament to punch its ticket to the DYB Div. I O-Zone World Series in Ruston, Louisiana Aug 4-9. Coach Landy Cox’s bunch doubled up Gregg Park 4-2 in the morning, then avenged it’s opening loss from July 8 in the championship game.

“I was questioning whether we could win but I didn’t let them know that,” Cox said. “They’re too young to know they’re not supposed to win six games in a row like that. I guess they were smarter than me.”

Moncks Corner pitcher Nicholas Stephens hurled a four-hitter and struck out four batters to garner the victory on the mound in the championship game.

Moncks Corner grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning when Carson Hainline singled and scored on a wild pitch. Landyn Cox singled hard to the outfield, scoring Dougie Floyd from second base, to make it 2-0 in the top of the fourth.

Greer plated a run in the bottom of the fourth but couldn’t scratch again against Stephens. Greer got the tying run in scoring position in the fifth inning but Stephens stranded the runner at second base. He retired the side in order in the bottom of the sixth, capping a spectacular run to the title.

“It’s one of the hardest things we’ve ever had to do, win six games in seven days when you’re facing elimination each day,” Cox said. “I’m not sure that team doesn’t outweigh us 40 pounds a kid but our kids are tough.”

Moncks Corner left no doubt about that on short rest. It played past midnight the night before because of a weather delay, staying alive and handing Gregg Park its first loss, 7-3.

Moncks Corner then lost a coin toss to Greer and had to play Gregg Park again in the morning less than 10 hours later, with a spot in the title game on the line. It didn’t cut corners in preparation for the final day even though everybody got to bed after 1 in the morning.

“Somebody asked if we were going to hit in the morning and I said ’you darn right,” Cox said. “We met at 8:30 in the morning at Berkeley High School and kept our same routine.”

Tied 1-1 after two and a half innings, Moncks Corner plated three runs in the bottom of the third inning to take control against Gregg Park (from Aiken County). Gregg Park managed a single run in the top of the fourth inning but got not closer.

Carter Hainline was 2 for 2 and scored a run while Carson Hainline and Davis Owens knocked in runs.

Moncks Corner pitchers Floyd and Mason Prince scattered five hits and struck out four batters. Floyd hurled four innings to garner the win.

Moncks Corner’s other wins after falling, 9-8, to Greer in the tournament opener were over Hartsville Northern (11-0), Greenwood (12-0) and Mt. Pleasant (5-4).

More team members are Ansel Todd, Caleb Morris, Jaxson Stackley, Layne Lucas and Layton Oliver. Cox’s assistant coaches are Ryan Owens and Doug Floyd.

Moncks Corner begins the world series against the host team at 10 a.m. on Aug. 4.

Moncks Corner represents South Carolina and could square off against other state champions from Virginia, North Carolina, Texas, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia, Arkansas and Mississippi.

“We’re just gonna play our small ball, pitch and play defense and see where we stack up against everybody else,” Cox said. “I think our kids average about 75 pounds. We’re not big but we’ll fight you.”

County leaders and Emergency Management officials continue to monitor Idalia, which is likely to be a wind and rain event for Berkeley County, starting late Wednesday afternoon and into Thursday morning. Expected rainfall is 4 to 8 inches. Other potential impacts from Idalia, including risk for tornadoes and storm surge, remains low at this time for Berkeley County.

LANDFILL / CONVENIENCE CENTERS: All facilities are closing at 4:30 p.m. today, Wednesday, August 30, and will remain CLOSED Thursday, August 31. To prevent potential overflow later in the week at the Landfill and Convenience Centers, Berkeley County officials are encouraging those (who are able to do so safely) to drop off any storm and yard debris at the Landfill and Convenience Centers on Friday and Saturday, when all locations will operate by their normal hours. The Landfill and Convenience Centers are for Berkeley County residents only. A valid ID is required and will be checked. Facilities only accept residential waste, not commercial waste. The Landfill accepts commercial waste.

FACILITY CLOSURES: Please see schedule below for dates and times of County facility closures:

OPERATING CONDITIONS: The County’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) moved to OPCON 2, partial EOC activation, at 8 a.m. on Wednesday. OPCON 2 means a disaster or emergency is likely to affect the County, and emergency operations plans are implemented.

CITIZEN CALL LINE: The Citizen Call Line (843-719-4800) is currently operational 24/7 for non-emergency calls ONLY. Callers will hear an automated response with Berkeley County storm prep information. **For all emergency calls, please call 911.**

SANDBAGS: Sandbags are available at the following sites on a first-come, first-served basis. The sites are self-serve. More locations will be added, as needed.

POWER OUTAGES: Please do not call 911 for power outages. Please report outages to the appropriate provider below:

REPORTING STORM DAMAGE: If your residence or business sustains storm damage, please report it HERE. Those without Internet access can report storm damage by calling the Citizen Call Line at 843-719-4800 and leaving a detailed voicemail.

Reporting storm damage will help Berkeley County staff gauge the extent of damage in the County and report the findings to state and federal officials. These reports will determine appropriate federal and state funding for damage caused by the storm.

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster has declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm.

The public is encouraged to view the 2023 County Hurricane Guide in English, Spanish, and Portuguese at www.berkeleycountysc.gov.

For the latest news and updates on Idalia, follow Berkeley County Government on Facebook and at www.berkeleycountysc.gov. Also, sign up for all County news and alerts through the County’s Notification System HERE.

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– Prepared by the Berkeley County Public Information Office –