Body Recovered from

Irmo Pond

The body of Tao Gao, 42, was recovered from the 100 block of Pale Ivy Lane in the Carmel Commons subdivision at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, according to Coroner Margaret Fisher.

Lexington County Sheriff’s Department Dive Team recovered the body. No foul play is suspected at this time.

An autopsy has been scheduled for August 28, 2018 to determine the cause of Gao’s death.

The Irmo Police Department is investigating.

If you have any information about this incident you are asked to contact Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIMESC.

Former SCDOT employee charged with grand larceny

Christopher Allen Weaver, 35, was charged with Grand larceny - value $10,000 or more in the theft of his work vehicle and use of the vehicle’s fuel card after leaving employment with the agency.

The request for the SLED investigation was made by the S.C. Department of Transportation.

Weaver was booked at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Richland County.

The case will be prosecuted by the Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

Restaurant owner jailed

for tax evasion

Jeremy Chavis, owner of Jackson’s Southern Kitchen in Lexington County, was arrested this week by South Carolina Department of Revenue (SCDOR) agents on 4 counts of tax evasion.

From May 1, 2014 to December 31, 2017, Chavis failed to report at least $2.7 million in sales, avoiding $213,000 in sales tax due to the State of South Carolina.

Chavis is currently being held at the Lexington County Detention Center. If convicted, he faces fines up to $10,000 and/or up to five years in prison per charge.

Gaston teen charged with

attempted murder

Jose Coria Emeterio,19, is accused of stabbing a family member during a domestic dispute. He’s charged with attempted murder and possessing a weapon during a violent crime, according to arrest warrants.

Emeterio slashed the victim with a knife several times, according to Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon.

The man is expected to make a full recovery.

Koon said Emeterio is also charged with stealing a car in connection to his fleeing the scene on Swansea Road.

Emeterio is being held in the Lexington County Detention Center while he awaits a bond hearing.

Texting and driving earns

Lexington man 5 years

Richard Alan Norris II, 29, pled guilty last week to Hit and Run resulting in Great Bodily Injury which occurred while texting and driving.

Norris was sentenced to 5 years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections by Circuit Court Judge De-Andrea G. Benjamin.

On December 26, 2016, Norris drove his 2003 Mercedes onto a sidewalk near St. Andrews Rd., striking Alexi Ramazon, 20, and Kanya Gidion, 19. Norris then fled the scene.

Gidion suffered significant injuries, including skull fractures and a traumatic brain injury. The incident has left him partially handicapped, as he lost much of the use of his dominant arm and hand.

Norris has prior convictions for shoplifting, burglary 2nd degree, and possession of a controlled substance.

Child shot in neglect case

Claude William Pound, 65, faces a child neglect charge after an underage member of his family accidentally shot another minor inside a vehicle at a car dealership.

The Gaston man is charged with unlawful conduct toward a child, according to an arrest warrant.

“We’re at a point in our investigation where detectives have determined Pound placed the child who fired the unsecured firearm at unreasonable risk of harm,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said. “We’ve charged him because the incident has affected the child’s life, physical or mental health and safety.”

Pound left the two children, both younger than 10, inside a vehicle with the gun at Jim Hudson Ford in Lexington, according to Koon. The gun was in a bag in the floorboard of the vehicle, according to the arrest warrant.

The child is expected to recover from the gunshot wound.

Pound is being held in the Lexington County Detention Center while he awaits a bond hearing.