8/2 NEWSBREAK: CCSO chief pilot injured Tuesday in helicopter crash

Lt. Scott Martray, the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office’s (CCSO) chief pilot, reported some malfunction in his helicopter shortly before it crashed Tuesday at the Charleston International Airport.

CCSO spokesman Andrew Knapp said the crash occurred about 3:30 p.m. as the pilot was returning from scheduled maintenance in Sumter County. Military and airport personnel, along with CCSO deputies and other partner agencies, responded to the crash site and found the aircraft with significant damage. Martray was taken to MUSC for treatment of injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

“Our deputies encounter dangers daily and rely on their training to safely guide them through those challenges,” Charleston County Sheriff Kristin Graziano said in a statement. “Our pilots are no different. We respect and appreciate Scott’s expertise that allowed him to bring the helicopter down while minimizing damage on the ground and injury to himself. We will continue to support him and his family through his recovery. We will also support the investigation to determine what caused the malfunction.”

Officials at the Charleston International Airport temporarily suspended all flights around 3:45 p.m. as a result of the incident. One runway reopened and flights resumed around 5:30 p.m., but delays continued into the evening. No details were released on the details of the malfunction Martray reported.

In other recent headlines:

CP NEWS: S.C. is risky for motorcyclists, new study shows. South Carolina has the nation’s eighth highest fatality rate for motorcycle riders, according to a recent study using 2021 data.

CP NEWS: Week-long civil rights education program launched in Charleston. Charleston Civil Rights and Civics partnered with Kids on Point this week to launch an inaugural five-day, immersive program designed to show high school students the often-ignored civil rights history of the Lowcountry.

Trump’s third indictment focuses on attempt to overturn 2020 election. Former President Donald Trump’s legal peril deepened Tuesday after a federal grand jury in Washington indicted him on four counts related to the attempted Jan. 6 overthrow of Congress as it was validating the 2020 election. Trump faces three conspiracy charges and a count of attempting to obstruct an official proceeding in his campaign to use the levers of government power to remain in office.

Laffitte, accomplice to Murdaugh, sentenced to 7 years in prison. Former banker Russell Laffitte was sentenced to seven years in federal prison Tuesday for helping convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh steal nearly $2 million from his client’s legal settlements after a jury found him guilty of six charges related to wire and bank fraud back in November.

McMaster signs fentanyl trafficking bill into law. S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster on Tuesday signed into law a bill that adds fentanyl-related substances to the list of controlled substances and creates a felony offense for trafficking it.

Housing costs rising twice as fast as everything else across nation. Nearly all of the nation’s housing challenges are on display: skyrocketing housing costs, chronic homelessness, too few homes to rent or buy.

Mount Pleasant needs better roads, more affordable housing, survey says. The town of Mount Pleasant revealed the results of a survey conducted to determine what people want their government to focus on over the next few years after months of public hearings.

Charleston nonprofit helps LGBTQ+ students navigate high school. LGBTQ+ nonprofit We Are Family is set to host its first GSA leadership Camp this month. The nonprofit will provide mentors and sponsors, extending a guiding hand to both newly formed and existing GSA clubs.

Nearly 700 homes planned in new Summerville development. A new subdivision is planned on part of a 1,000-acre parcel that Summerville annexed in 2020 just west of the 5,000-acre Nexton master-planned community.