News Bites From Across South Carolina And The Nation

**Alligator Confronts 911 Dispatchers In Parking Garage At Florida Sheriff’s Office**

Teenagers often make bad choices, and apparently the same can be said of young alligators. On Sunday, July 24, a juvenile alligator was caught wandering the parking garage of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Administration Building in Largo, Florida. Largo is about 25 miles west of downtown Tampa. The gator wasn’t shy about it, either. A photo shows its head was conspicuously sticking out from under a vehicle.

The alligator appeared to be just over 3 feet long, which is small in a state where the record is 14 feet, 3.5 inches. It was captured and relocated, officials said, but not before a lot of jokes were posted about it trying to reach deputies about their vehicle’s extended warranty.

**Shaking Returns As Most Powerful Earthquake Hits Columbia Area**

It had been nearly a week since the last confirmed earthquake hit the Columbia area, but that streak was snapped Sunday night when the rumbling returned to the Midlands. A 2.3 magnitude earthquake was recorded in the Lugoff area at 8:42 p.m., the South Carolina Emergency Management Division reported. It was recorded about 1.5 miles beneath the surface, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A few hours later, another earthquake was confirmed early Monday morning, according to DNR.

The first earthquake was the most powerful quake — so far — this month, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Geological Survey. It surpassed a quake that was downgraded from a 2.4 to a 2.2 magnitude after being confirmed near Elgin on July 19. Monday’s seismic activity was recorded 3:01 a.m., according to the USGS. The 2.1 magnitude earthquake was about 1.3 miles beneath the surface.

**Comedian Lil Duval Involved In A Car Accident In Bahamas**

Prayers for comedian Lil Duval are in high order as he got into a car accident Tuesday night and was airlifted to a hospital in the Bahamas according to TMZ.

Duval posted the video showing him boarding an ambulance with cuts and bruises apparent.

The caption reads,“Somebody hit me in they car while i was on my 4 wheeler. Now my leg broke and i gotta get flown over to nassau and have surgery.”

**50 Cent Reacts To NYC Pastor Being Robbed Of $1M Worth Of Jewelry During Church Service**

50 Cent didn’t shy away from speaking on the plight of a high-profile Brooklyn pastor being robbed during a live-streamed church service. The multihyphenate producer gave a candid reaction to seeing Bishop Lamor Whitehead and his wife have more than $1 million worth of jewelry snatched by masked gunmen.

“Meanwhile back in New York, they robbing the church while it’s in service. WTF,” he wrote alongside footage of the incident.
According to NPR (via HipHopDX.com), there were no injuries reported during the armed theft. Whitehead chased the three masked men outside of the church and claimed they got into a white Mercedes-Benz before changing clothes. No arrests have been made in the case as of press time.

**Last Two Ex-Officers In George Floyd Death Sentenced To Prison**

J Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao were convicted in February of violating the unarmed black man's civil rights by failing to provide care or intervene.

Kueng will spend three years behind bars, while Thao was sentenced to 42 months.

Mr. Floyd's death, filmed by a bystander, led to global protests.

For nine minutes, while lead officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Mr. Floyd's neck, Kueng held his feet while Thao held back bystanders.

Chauvin was convicted last June of murder and is currently serving time in state prison. In December, he pleaded guilty to federal charges of violating Mr. Floyd's civil rights, averting a second trial.

Thao, 36, and Kueng, 28, and a third officer, Thomas K Lane, 39, all of whom were present during the murder, were charged with showing "deliberate indifference to [Mr. Floyd's] serious medical needs".