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Deputies make arrests after body found in Cottageville woods where hunter went missing

COLLETON COUNTY, SC (WCSC) - Investigators have made a number of arrests after a body was found in the woods in Cottageville in the same area where a hunter went missing.

The Colleton County Sheriff’s Office says 25-year-old Schuyler Rene Andrulat of Cottageville and 33-year-old Nathan Baughman of Summerville have been charged with obstruction of justice. According to court records, the charges against Andrulat were dismissed and expunged.

A third man, Brad Skipper, has also been charged with an outstanding warrant from Colleton County.

The body was found around 8 p.m. on Thursday in a wooded area off Red Oak Road, the same area where a hunter went missing last Friday

The sheriff's office says the missing hunter was staying with friends who waited until Sunday to report him missing.

The coroner is doing an autopsy to determine the cause of death and identify the body.

The arrests stems from an incident that began on Aug. 21 when a Colleton County deputy responded to a home on Peirce Road in reference to a missing person.

The deputy spoke to Andrulat who said a friend of hers, Orin Patrick, had come to her home to go hunting Friday evening.

According to a report, Andrulat said she dropped Patrick off along the woodline on Peirce Road with a shotgun.

"Andrulat stated that several hours later, she received a call from Patrick stating that he was lost in the woods and he wanted her to drive along the road and beep the horn so that he could find his way back to the road again," the report states.

Andrulat told investigators that she did this around 9 p.m. on Friday but could not find him.

According to authorities, Andrulat said she received another call from Patrick that only last a few seconds and had since been unable to reach him through his phone again. Andrulat told deputies that she did not know any more information about Patrick.

In the incident report, the responding deputy reported that when he first met with Andrulat, she was unable to give any information about Patrick. The deputy then told Andrulat to get in contact with some of Patrick's friends or family so that he could get enough information to do a report.

Authorities also spoke with Patrick's friend, Baughman, who told investigators over the phone that he and Patrick had been staying at a home on Lakeview Drive in Summerville.

Baughman said the last time he saw Patrick was on Aug. 19, but was unsure of the time "because they had both been drinking so he did not remember much about that day."

The incident report states Baughman told investigators that this was not the first time Patrick had just "gone away, but it has never been for this long and never without making contact with him."

Detectives reported that they had Patrick's cell phone pinged to find the last location for it which was in Summerville.

Copyright 2016 WCSC. All rights reserved.

A South Carolina highway trooper was arrested and charged with cruelty to children after he allegedly bit a 2-year-old’s cheek hard enough to leave a mark, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

SLED announced the arrest in a statement Tuesday. While the warrant provides few details, it states that Jesse Brassell, 23, admitted on Sept. 20 that he intentionally bit the child’s cheek in Cottageville, South Carolina.

In a statement, SLED said the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office asked it to investigate the incident. The child, whose name and gender are not included in the warrant, suffered a bite mark on the right cheek, according to the warrant.

Brassell was employed by the Highway Patrol for approximately 27 months, according to a statement from the Department of Public Safety, which oversees highway patrol.

“He had been under suspension without pay since September 22, 2023, the date the allegation was brought to our attention,” according to a statement from the department. Brassell, who held the rank of trooper first class, officially resigned from the agency on Dec. 15, 2023.

During his time as a highway patrolman, Brassell was assigned to Post B of Troop 6, which covers Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester and Jasper counties. A roster for a basic training graduating class released by the Highway Patrol listed his hometown as Summerville, South Carolina.

Brassell was charged under South Carolina’s cruelty to children statute. Under the law, it is a misdemeanor for a parent, guardian or anyone who has “charge or custody” of a child to inflict “unnecessary pain or suffering” or to deprive the child of “necessary sustenance or shelter.”

Brassell was booked at the Colleton County Detention Center. Records from the jail state that he received a $200 bond by Associate Chief Magistrate Sophia T. Henderson.

The case will be prosecuted by the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office Public Integrity Unit, according to SLED. The unit, which is a collaboration between the 14th and 1st Circuit Solicitor’s Offices, investigates officer involved shootings, public corruption and other use of force cases across both circuits.

Damage reports from a tornado spotted west of Summerville early Monday morning still coming in, but it appears no fatalities have been reported.

A tornado warding has since expired, but according to The National Weather Service in Charleston at 7 a.m. a confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado was located just west of Cottageville, moving east at 50 mph.

Emergency dispatchers reported many downed trees and some power outages west of Summerville in the Jedburg area. Fire alarms also have been reported, but no fire damage has yet been reported.

This is a developing story.

Local artist Lori Zareski’s artwork can be seen locally at ART on the Square Gallery in Nexton Square. In addition, she is also a collector of antiques, so she has a booth at Vintage Vibes at 200 N. Main St. in Summerville as well.

ART on the Square will have a general open artists reception for all its artists from 5-8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 5. If you have never seen the gallery, you must go, as there is so much talent on those walls. While I have profiled several of its artists, I still have more to consider profiling in the future, as I do for those at the Public Works Art Center.

Regan: Lori, how did you get started in art? Did you attend college for art, or are you self-taught?

Zareski: I am mostly self-taught, although I took advertising and design classes at Russell Sage College in New York. It gave me enough background to design logos and ad copy for some local businesses. After that, I began painting murals and trompe l’oeil in homes and businesses. The challenge for me after that has been to condense my artwork onto canvasses and jackets.

R: What medium do you work in most and why? What’s your favorite type of item to create?

Z: I only use acrylic mainly because it is easily manipulated to resemble watercolor or alcohol ink, and it is fast drying. I am very impatient. My favorite thing is accepting commissions that challenge me to think outside the box. I have painted on everything, including walls, furniture, clothing and even hubcaps.

R: What got you into antiques and collectibles?

Z: I bought my first antique at 13 years old. It was a caned rocking chair I still own. My parents took me throughout New York and New England in search of treasures. Because of these adventures, I began crafting what I call “Salvage Art.” It resembles a sort of “I Spy” puzzle. I mostly use a band saw to prepare the wood pieces (chair parts, rulers, croquet mallets, etc.) that make up the assemblages, and then I add a painted canvas to complete the piece. If you look closely enough, you will find some vintage trinkets attached to many of my paintings.

R: Aside from the gallery and the antique store, are you also involved with groups like the Summerville Artist Guild?

Z: I do not belong to any guild or group because we have been traveling for the past few years to care for family. Joining a group is on my to-do list for 2024.

R: Have you ever taught art workshops or classes? Is that something you would like to do?

Z: I have not taught any professional classes yet, but I do tutor numerous friends in painting backgrounds with acrylics. I am trying to work out the details for a workshop this summer at the gallery.

R: You love the 1980s New York street artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. What is it about his work that draws you in?

Z: I attended college in the early 1980s, and the avant-garde style was everywhere. Street art was just becoming mainstream, and I quickly became a fan of his work, not just for the messaging and content but for his freedom of color and mark-making. I feel that freedom when I paint denim jackets. I recently painted vintage album covers on denim for customers. It has been fun to revisit that era.

R: What is coming up for you?

Z: I am always striving to get looser in my artwork, as my background in advertising makes my work more like illustrations. I have some new pieces coming in neutral colors, which is new because I tend to use every color in the crayon box whenever possible. The flea market season has ended for this year, but I will apply again for next year’s shows. I will create a website to sell my custom jackets, but you can always find my work in Summerville and on Instagram.

Visit www.ArtontheSquare.gallery/Lori-Zareski/ or @lorizart_paintsinsc on Instagram for more information.

Mary E. Regan is a guest columnist for the Journal Scene and a freelance publicist with her propublicist.com consultancy. She is always seeking new publicity clients and writing projects. Email mary@propublicist.com with story ideas.

Cottageville residents have seen change in their community in the last few years, and now the Greater Cottageville Chamber of Commerce is ready to encourage more improvements.

Frank Santorella, a resident of Cottageville, said he is proud of the small town and wants to showcase its beauty, friendly people, and excellent location.

“We want to create a chamber of commerce here. We already have a 501-3C non-profit status, Maryann Blake is serving as our attorney, and we are ready to roll,” said Santorella. “We have ‘Friends of the Park’ which is comprised of people who helped develop the park into what it is now.” He says there are also plans at the park to install a memorial with engraved bricks to honor veterans. This will be accomplished by applying for grants and accepting donations.

Santorella, who plans to initiate the chamber, will serve as a temporary director. He says he already has seven merchants who are interested in joining.

“We want to make Cottageville a destination. Red Brick Pizza and Beer Garden is the anchor store for starting the chamber,” said Santorella. “It’s a one-of-a-kind business in the entire region. Once the chamber officially opens, we want to pick a member of the chamber and promote that business each week, and once a month promote everyone. There will be a rotation, and this will be good for everybody.”

He went on to say that the brick-and-mortar stores are the life of Cottageville, not the transient businesses. He feels that transient businesses will not want to invest their funds in the chamber, but the stationary businesses are here to stay.

“I think the people of Cottageville will be positively affected by the chamber and will accept it with open arms. Hopefully, this will bring even more businesses our way. Our only option now is to travel to Summerville or Walterboro to purchase some items. That’s between 15 to 20 miles away. Cottageville has a lot of people in the rural areas, and though our local gas stations try hard to serve the needs of the community, it would be nice to have boutique shops here. We already have a new vape store that has a coffee bar. So we are starting off well,” said Santorella.

He is hoping to have the new chamber up and running by the end of the first quarter of 2022.

“There will be a fee for stores to become part of the chamber,” said Santorella, who gathered ideas and patterned the Cottageville chamber after the City of Walteboro’s. “I received ideas on how to structure the fees. They won’t be impressive because social media provides a lot of free advertising. We will have a website and newsletter for the community. We will be out there,” he added.

Anyone interested in joining the new chamber can write to: Greater Cottageville Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 464, Cottageville, SC, 29435. Businesses can also contact Santorella on Facebook at Friends of the Park or call The Vape Stop at 843-701-4262.

COTTAGEVILLE, SC (WCSC) – A day after resigning as the mayor of Cottageville, George White explained his decision Thursday.

"When I got in there I knew I had a fight on my hands," White said.

And after almost four years in office, White has called it quits.

"It's time for someone else to come up with some solutions," White said. "I presented everything I could."

White said when he first took office, traffic tickets were missing, seized money and drugs were gone and the town was hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.

He worked out a payment plan with the state treasurer's office and tried to find new ways to make money.

"I've tried to get a development agreement through,l a zoning ordinance through, and I've just been met with resistance," White said.

White cut his salary from $400 dollars a month to $20 dollars a month and cut council members to $10 dollars a month. Meanwhile, White said his family had to deal with dirty political smears.

"Personal attacks, articles in the newspaper just berating me," White explained. "They came out with a supposed affair between a former clerk and myself and mismanagement of funds for trips."

This January, when the new council was seated, White said bad turned worse.

"I've been dealing with this council for nine months and we've done nothing but fire our town clerk in nine months," White said.

He said the council's response to his ideas was usually "no comment," and the last straw was when a proposal for a new grocery store and two green industries was denied.

"They just do not want to accept new growth in Cottageville," White said.

Without growth and revenue the town could die and White said that is the council's plan.

"In fact, the mayor that's seated now signed a petition to do away with Cottageville," White said. "If you're on the inside it's a whole lot easier to get your agenda met."

While White was mayor he says his business suffered and so did his family. So now he is done.

"I pretty much threw up my hands," White said. "I knew we were not going forward."

Copyright 2010 WCSC. All rights reserved.