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SUMTER, S.C. (WIS) - A Sumter County substitute teacher was recently jailed after deputies say she made inappropriate comments to a minor.

41-year-old Nicole Crumb was arrested on May 28 and charged with sexual exploitation of a minor as well as contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

She was booked into the Sumter County Detention Center and has since been released on a $22,500 bond.

Crumb was a substitute teacher through a third-party agency known as Kelly Education, which employs substitutes to work in the place of regular employees for teachers, paraprofessionals, clerical employees, custodians and food service workers.

She started assignments in the Sumter School District in February of 2023, with her last known assignment in March of this year.

The school district said she is no longer an active substitute teacher, and they have requested to remove her from all assignments.

One parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said Crumb was her daughter’s teacher at Hillcrest Middle School.

“As a mom, it’s disgusting,” she said. “As a mom, it’s scary. As a person, something has to be wrong with her.”

The woman said she had to have some difficult conversations with her daughter after she saw her teacher’s mugshot.

“Talk to your kids, make your kids aware that conversations like that between children and adults is not inappropriate,” she said. “Speak to them every day. Let them know that it’s OK to come and talk to you. Make sure there’s a line of communication between you and your child for your child to come and talk to you because it seems to be getting to be more of a common occurrence nowadays.”

She added that in today’s world, those conversations are necessary.

WIS asked the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office if investigators have any reason to believe that Crumb was doing anything inappropriate while in her role as a substitute.

The Sheriff’s Office said they cannot rule anything out, as the investigation is ongoing.

The incident report includes some disturbing details.

It alleges that Crumb has sent inappropriate messages to a teenaged boy and asked him some explicit questions.

“They’re being preyed on, it’s scary,” the Hillcrest parent said.

The teen told his parents, according to the report, that Crumb “texts all the kids,” implying that she communicates regularly with several of his classmates.

The victim also stated that Crumb’s home is known to be a “party place.”

“Don’t give anyone leeway to get to your kids because it happens and it’s happening more,” the anonymous parent said.

The Sheriff’s Office would not say whether there are more victims, citing the ongoing investigation.

Kelly Education said in a statement, “The safety and well-being of the students we serve is our top priority. The substitute teacher has been removed from all assignments. We intend to fully cooperate with the authorities in their investigation.”

This is a developing story. Stay with WIS News 10 for more details.

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Check your tickets.

Someone recently bought a record-breaking game, South Carolina Education Lottery officials said Tuesday in a news release.

The person who bought a Palmetto Cash 5 ticket in Sumter won a $1,132,000 grand prize, which is the largest-ever rolling jackpot for a South Carolina lottery game, according to the release.

Now a search is underway for the winner.

What turned out to be the seven-figure winning Palmetto Cash 5 ticket was sold at the Kwik Mart gas station/convenience store at 2350 Peach Orchard Road in Sumter, officials said.

The winning numbers from Monday’s drawing were 4, 7, 10, 20 and 30.

The Palmetto Cash 5 ticket matched all five numbers drawn to win the game’s top prize, officials said.

The winner has 180 days to claim the six-figure prize, according to lottery officials.

The winner will be allowed to retain some privacy, as South Carolina is one of 11 states — along with Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Texas and Virginia — that allow lottery winners to remain anonymous.

“Sign the back of your ticket and put it in a safe location until you’re ready to come forward to claim the prize,” lottery officials said.

For complete information on claiming prizes, go to sceducationlottery.com.

The jackpot rolled 44 times before Monday’s win, according to the release.

The odds of winning $1,132,000 playing Palmetto Cash 5 are 850,668-to-1, officials said.

The Kwik Mart will receive a commission for selling the winning ticket when it is turned into lottery officials.

The Palmetto Cash 5 jackpot for Tuesday night’s drawing is reset at $100,000.

It costs $2 to purchase a Palmetto Cash 5 ticket, and drawings are held on a daily basis at 6:59 p.m., officials said.

The fire sent smoke over Alice Drive and Harper Street Saturday. Officials said they don’t yet know what caused it.

Credit: Mich DeLorme, special to WLTX

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Fire investigators in Sumter County are still trying to determine what caused building materials to catch fire at a construction site in Sumter on Saturday afternoon.

Charred pieces of wood, tar paper, and foam littered the area where a fire broke out at a future B.J.'s Wholesale Club site at Alice Drive and Harper Street in Sumter.

Sumter County Fire Battalion Chief Jeffrey Shirley said crews began responding to the fire around 12:15 Saturday. At one point, 40 firefighters and 11 apparatus were on the scene. Many of those firefighters remained at the site until 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

Sunday afternoon, charred pieces of debris still littered the sidewalk and streets near the site of the blaze.

Fire officials say they don’t believe the smoke from the burning materials, which included insulation and other items, posed a concern to the public since it rose directly above and did not stay low to the ground.

Bobby Riley lives across from the site and described what he saw.

“The air was filled with black, heavy smoke," Riley said. "And by the time I got out to see what was going on, they had the road blocked off and you couldn’t really see [anything]. The firefighters had a heck of a job to do.”

Bonnie Wallace’s mother also lives nearby. She described how the fire impacted her mother's neighbors.

“From what I understand the area was heavy with like a smog. It wasn’t really, really strong, but it was enough to definitely impact you," she said. “For a brand-new building, it’s not even up yet and it’s burned, I don’t know if I’m ever going to go into that building.”

Sunday afternoon, Chief Shirley said the department still does not have an estimate for the damages caused by this fire.

Sumter’s Pocotaligo River had the highest PFAS levels among 22 U.S. waterways tested in a nationwide study, raising public health concerns.

SUMTER COUNTY, S.C. — A recent study by the Waterkeeper Alliance has revealed alarming levels of PFAS contamination in the Pocotaligo River in Sumter, finding it is the most contaminated among 22 waterways tested across 19 states.

“It was the worst, by far, on total PFAS. It was the most contaminated site out of all, I believe. It was out of 22 that was studied,” said Erin Donmoyer, Black-Sampit Riverkeeper.

The findings are based on samples collected in September 2022. Donmoyer suspects a nearby wastewater treatment facility may be a significant contributor to the contamination.

“It’s suspected that one or more of the industrial pre-treatment users is probably the larger source of PFAS coming into the system so if the wastewater treatment plant issues limits PFAS for their treatment users then that can be a solution to the problem,” she said.

PFAS, often referred to as “forever chemicals,” are a group of synthetic substances that do not break down easily in the environment or the human body. Long-term exposure to certain PFAS has been linked to health risks, including cancer and liver damage.

Some residents are concerned but not yet deterred.

“I’ve been fishing at the river for about 30 years, and I guess it is a little bit concerning to hear this stuff. We’ve had some mercury poison warnings over the years, but I’m not sure what this is,” said Sumter resident Julien Weinberg, who declined to appear on camera. While he still plans to swim in the river, he says he may reconsider fishing there.

Health officials note that PFAS absorption through the skin is considered low, but ingesting contaminated water or fish may pose risks. Swimming remains safe, but caution is advised when consuming fish caught in the Pocotaligo.

Donmoyer hopes the study will lead to increased awareness and action.

“Advocating around this issue is where everyone can find their power," Donmoyer said. "Let your local reps know, let the state reps know that this is something you’re concerned about and it matters. You want to feel safe going to your river or in your local landing and catching fish. It should be safe to do so and a right we all have, and industry should not be put above community safety.”

Home sales rose 300% in Sumter County, while Habitat for Humanity continues building homes for low-income families as June marks Homeownership Month.

SUMTER COUNTY, S.C. — A recent report from Rocket.com shows a notable increase in home sales in Sumter County. Four homes sold or were pending in May 2025, a 300% increase month over month.

Of those four homes, 50% were sold under asking price, 25% sold at asking, and 25% over asking.

As June marks National Homeownership Month, Habitat for Humanity in Sumter is continuing its mission to help local families achieve the dream of homeownership.

Michelle Davis and Gerald Jennings are two of those homeowners who were able to unlock the doors to their forever homes through Habitat for Humanity.

“In 2011 is when I moved with Sumter Habitat for Humanity and I’ve been there 14 years,” said Davis.

“I became a homeowner in June of 2013,” Jennings said.

The road to homeownership wasn’t easy for either of them.

“So, I was interning and working at the Red Cross, and, in the meantime, I was going through my divorce, so I was going through my phase of what am I going to do now," Jennings said. "I am a single mother with three children, so I moved into a low-income apartment."

Encouragement from friends and a bit of faith made the process possible.

“He was like maybe you should apply for a home with Habitat for I was like well my credit isn’t that great, and I was trying to work and get things together I was at a loss, and I was apprehensive,” Jennings added.

Davis had a similar experience navigating the process.

“I worked at Santee Wateree at that time and I first when I applied, I didn’t get in because I was making too much money – but I got on the waiting list and they selected me the second time I was so happy – we put the nails in and all that stuff it was a good opportunity to finish up your house,” Davis said.

Over the past 37 years, Habitat for Humanity of Sumter has built more than 120 homes for low-income families. Three homes were completed in the past year alone, and another three are currently under construction.

Theresa White, executive director of Sumter Habitat for Humanity, said the organization looks for committed and responsible applicants.

“With this comes great responsibility; you might be paying $600 a month for rent does not mean you can afford homeownership, so we pull a credit report. How you’ve paid your debts in the past,” White said.

According to White, preparation is key.

“You're not going to be able to make $100,000 and probably and qualify for our program, so qualifications for income is based on the number of people ... who are going to be living in the home," she said. "It's 50 to 80% of our area immediate income; that’s the first thing we look at: if their income is too high or too low, they are not going to qualify. So, they meet that requirement. The next thing is, can they afford homeownership?” she said.

Both Davis and Jennings say they are forever grateful for the opportunity Habitat gave them.

“For everyone that is out there, [it is] a second chance to start over and start new, make some solid foundations, and grow and be able to be vital and give back to an opportunity given to you,” Davis said.

“I think it sinked in for me when I went to the lawyer’s office and I got things that I finally had my own place; we are home, and we are going to make it, and no one is going to take that from me,” Jennings said.

White says the goal is to speed up their home-building process with more volunteers.