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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.

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COLLETON COUNTY, S.C. (WCIV) — Officials confirmed about 10 brush fires in the Lowcountry Thursday. The largest -- a 100-acre fire in Cottageville.

Several roads in Cottageville were blocked in the area of Bazzle Road as crews responded.

State Fire officials issued a red flag fire alert for 7.a.m Friday morning. There were at least 50 wildfires across South Carolina Thursday, many of those in the Lowcountry. Some of the worst areas were in Colleton and Berkeley counties.

Colleton County Fire and Rescue was called to one home twice Thursday. A hotspot reignited behind a home off Sidney Road. The blaze caught the attention of those nearby, including Kenya Campbell.

"I'm just trying to figure out what to do. It stopped and then it came back, it's scary,” said Campbell. “I ain't never see nothing like this and I've been here my whole life. It's really scary."

The property owner called officials back for safe measure. Despite the smoke and embers, crews are confident the fire is contained.

"I worry about my dad's house and my house catching fire,” Campbell said. “That's scary and being able to get my mom out of the house out in time in case something happens because my mom is disabled and is on oxygen and medication so it's hard to move her quickly."

Roughly 10 miles away, others were also preparing for the worst. Bob Szepek and his family live off Bazzle Road. Their 12 acres of land were up in smoke.

"Well, I have me and my wife, my daughter and stepson, five grandkids, three dogs and seven cats,” Szepek said.

While getting out of harm's way might not be easy, he said they're prepared, but not worried.

"We got some stuff together and gathered up the dogs, got them loaded up in vehicles,” Szepek said. “If they would have told us to leave, we would have left."

As for Campbell, she wasn’t willing to play with fire.

"I think I'm going to go home and pack my mom up,” she said. “I think that's the best thing we're going to do is pack mom up and get out of here for the night at least."

Berkeley County fires

In Berkeley County, there were fires reported in Moncks Corner, St. Stephen and Jamestown.

Berkeley County spokeswoman Hannah Moseley said a fire on Old Mill Road in St. Stephen destroyed a shed and mobile home.

The largest of the Berkeley fires was a 50-acre brush fire off Stevensridge Lane. In Jamestown, a woods fire off French Santee Road burned several acres.

“Today was one of the busiest fire days we’ve seen in a while – [more than 50 active fires statewide] – and it’s because the conditions that led us to issue a Red Flag alert last weekend haven’t changed much,” said Darryl Jones, SC Forestry Commission Chief. “We’re asking that people voluntarily postpone any burning they’ve planned because the wind speeds and relative humidity over much of the state through the weekend will create an elevated potential for fire danger.”

The statewide Red Flag Fire Alert does not prohibit outdoor burning, provided that all other state and local regulations are followed.

Moncks Corner officials went a step further and announced a burn ban for the town.

State fire officials said dry conditions, low humidity and winds are fanning the flames.

The Whitesville Rural Volunteer Fire Department posted the video below.

Their post read:"Great job by Moncks Corner Rural Fire Department, Pine Ridge Fire Rescue, The South Carolina Forestry Commission, Berkeley County Central Dispatch as well we your Whitesville Rural Volunteer Fire Department for a great job on what ended up being a 50 acre brush fire in the area of Stevensridge Lane off or Old Whitesville Rd. Please ensure that you check to see if there is a Red Flag Warning or Burn Ban in place prior to burning anything, and when you do burn it can only be organic materials that have not been chemically treated in any way."

COTTAGEVILLE, S.C. (WCBD) – A problem with a septic tank may force a small business in Colleton County to close its doors for good.

David Stanfield and his wife opened Red Brick Pizza in Cottageville a few years ago. But they may have to close their business after South Carolina’s lead health agency, the Department of Health and Environmental Control, said their septic system is not fit for the job.

“Almost two years ago we started, and almost immediately DHEC jumped on my back,” said Stanfield. “In March of last year, we started takeout only, but in March I contacted them about opening a 12-person dining room. They said yes, you can open it.”

A month later, Stanfield said he was told that could not have a dining room.

“I asked them about the tables out front – I had four picnic tables out front – they said you can have all the picnic tables you want, so we built a patio which has a bunch of outside tables. And then five months later, during another inspection, and we’ve gone through eight in one year, during another inspection they said you can’t have these outside tables. I said, well, you told us we could.”

DHEC told Stanfield that his septic tank was too small, and he was given a ‘shut door’ order.

“Two months ago, I went before the council- I begged them, I said my septic system has never overflowed, it’s never had a problem, and they said you have 60 days to put this monstrosity in back here.”

His customers were outside protesting on Tuesday while raising money to help keep them in business.

Stanfield began installing the large septic system. He says he has now spent $51,000 on the project. But his business only makes about $800-$1,000 on a good week. So, he believes he will now have to just shut down.

Stanfield eventually put a water meter on his property after a suggestion from a neighbor to see how much water was being used each day.

“Our water meter shows that we use 350 gallons per night, my existing system will do 450 gallons and they’ve got me putting in the system it will do 1,500 gallons per night which is just crazy. They’ve bankrupted me. They’ve taken every dime that we have, and we don’t even have money to open for food this week.”

DHEC sent News 2 a statement saying Stanfield was not in compliance with his DHEC permit when he moved from take-out only to restaurant seating.

“Mr. Stanfield did not dispute the grounds for suspension but requested the suspension be rescinded because he was diligently working on gaining compliance with DHEC regulations,” the statement said. “Failure to install the upgraded system would not lead to closure of the facility but would result in the return to the original food service operation as approved and permitted by DHEC.”

“I don’t understand this because, you know, America is known for if you put everything into – whatever your dream is – you can get it accomplished and they are burying us alive,” said Heike Stanfield, Co-Owner, Red Brick Pizza.

Stanfield said they were last open on Saturday. But unless a miracle happens, he believes they may not be able to re-open again.

The matter was discussed during a DHEC board meeting on May 5, 2022 with the restaurant’s owner in attendance – a motion was made about two hours and thirty-three minutes into the meeting, following an executive session. You can watch that hearing by clicking here.

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.

The American Red Cross is helping a Cottageville family with temporary shelter and food after a house fire destroyed their home on Saturday, March 13th.

Firefighter-paramedics with Colleton County Fire-Rescue were called to the Amber Court house in Cottageville at about 8:55 a.m. They found an adult man climbing out of a small window of the mobile home when they arrived: the man was not harmed.

According to Barry McRoy, chief of Colleton County Fire-Rescue, the house was already about 65 percent engulfed, or filled with flames, when fire crews arrived on scene.

“Firefighters deployed multiple hand lines to the structure and stopped the spread of the flames, but the interior of the mobile home was gutted,” he said. “The family lost most of their belongings.”

McRoy said local fire crews had the fire under control within 15 minutes, but crews stayed on scene for about two hours “performing overhaul.”

According to McRoy, the fire appears to have started in a utility shed located next to the house. The flames then spread to the mobile home, he said. The utility shed, which was about 12x12 in size, was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived on scene.

No one was injured in the blaze.

The American Red Cross was called to help the family.

A second house fire that also occurred in Cottageville last week left a Cottageville family with house damage and with personal losses. (See more information on that story in this issue).

So far this year, CCFR has already responded to 18 structure fires.

In 2020, CCFR responded to 73 structure fires.

According to McRoy, the number of fires in 2020 was down from the year prior: in 2019, Colleton County Fire-Rescue responded to 28 fires.

For this year’s house fires, McRoy said firefighter-paramedics have seen the fires being related to people smoking. He also said yard debris fires this year have gotten out of control and sent flames to nearby houses and structures.

“We are seeing an increase in the woods fires,” he added. “Most of the fires are from people burning outdoors, such as yard debris fires, someone burning off their yard and even people burning household garbage, which is not permitted.

“This is the time of year, people tend to burn yard debris from cleaning up their property or conduct large outdoor burns related to land management,” he said. “Many people leave the fires unattended and they spread to neighboring property or buildings. Some of those structure fires are related to unattended outdoor burning which spread to outside utility buildings.”