eVAC is a German magnet manufacturer. It's planning to invest half a billion dollars and create nearly 300 jobs in Sumter County.

Credit: WLTX

SUMTER, S.C. — Half a billion dollars and nearly 300 jobs are expected to come into Sumter County now that a new manufacturing facility has announced it will be coming to the area. The German magnet manufacturer’s parent company is called Vacuumschmelze, with “eVAC” as its US name.

“They need it, I need it, we all need it,” Sumter resident Jeremiah Johnson says about job opportunities.

Now that eVAC has announced its plan to build a magnet manufacturing plant, it says 300 positions are expected to come to the area.

“It's a tremendous day,” Sumter Mayor David Merchant shares about the $500 million investment. “It creates jobs, it creates investment in South Carolina, it creates investment in Sumter specifically, and it just helps show that Sumter can compete with anybody in the state as far as our workforce and what we can help generate.”

“I think as we grow with more and more job opportunities, we'll continue to get a bigger group of people and with that more talent, more opportunity and just continue to get better together,” Sumter resident Will Hancock explains.

Hancock says economic development is key to making Sumter a good place to live.

“Sumter has made a big shift in the last decade. When I was in high school, I don’t think I had much to say about Sumter,” Hancock remembers. “Now I have plenty to say about Sumter as far as bringing people in.”

It’s something small business owner Niki Lewis says is important.

“With bringing new businesses, you have new faces coming in, different ideas. So it’s really good for all the small businesses,” Lewis says. “A lot of people go outside of where they live to get better opportunities, but if we're bringing those businesses and corporations in, that's better for them to stay home, meaning more time with their family because they don't have to travel as much. And then again, the money stays within the community.”

“Businesses from all over the world are coming to South Carolina. It's our job to see that we don't drop the ball,” Gov. Henry McMaster said on stage at the announcement. “Sometimes we really don't realize how good we have it, but other people do and that’s why they’re coming here.”

McMaster and leaders from across the state gathered for the announcement, which Vacuumschmelze’s CEO Erik Eschen says was made because of the people.

“The big difference for us was really people when you sit with them and talk with them, you see they mean it. And this is a unique experience we had here in South Carolina, especially Sumter that made the change and a difference,” Eschen shares.

Eschen says the facility is expected to be open by the end of 2025.

“Construction will be starting you know, hopefully we can get some local contractors involved to be participating in that and then it'll be plenty of announcements and talking about job fairs and job creations,” Mayor Merchant explains.

“We even try to avoid any noise from the outside,” Eschen adds. “And we assume depending on the day between two or four additional trucks we will have in the area, so I hope your traffic system can digest that. So we will be a very friendly and quiet neighbor, but not only that, we want to really be engaged in this wonderful community.”

eVAC’s technology is used in electric vehicle motors and will support US defense programs, as Eschen explains.

“We can’t understate how world class this company is,” South Carolina Secretary of Commerce Harry Lightsey says. “Their technology is really cutting edge leading technology in this world and frankly you know, they are the only company that does what they do that is based in the Western Hemisphere, so it is a great honor to have them be part of South Carolina.”

SUMTER, S.C. (WIS) - An $80,000 chicken heist was foiled in Sumter County and a truck driver was taken into custody.

According to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO), Christopher Thomas, 55, was supposed to deliver 41,000 pounds of chicken to two locations in Milton, Georgia, but had other plans to make cash.

”I don’t know how you get $80,000 worth of chicken out of the plant in the first place,” said an anonymous worker at Pilgrims Pride Plant.

Sumter County deputies along with the assistance from Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrested Thomas on Saturday evening.

According to the SCSO, Thomas — who is from Florence — was hired by Pilgrim’s Pride to deliver chicken and is suspected of having intentions of selling it.

WIS spoke to a worker at the plant who said this news comes as no surprise as these types of thefts keep happening.

”I’m not entirely sure how this is happening to be honest,” the worker said. “That’s a lot of chicken to be stolen out of there twice so I really have no idea how they’re even doing it and what they’re doing to stop it.”

Investigators believe Thomas sold part of the load of chicken he was transporting in various locations and was in the process of selling more when deputies pulled him over for a traffic stop.

When Thomas gave consent to deputies to search the truck, the investigator saw pallets loaded with cases of frozen chicken which was confirmed to be stolen from Pilgrim’s Pride.

Thomas was arrested with approximately seven pallets loaded with 215 cases of chicken that weighed 8,000 lbs.

It is believed Thomas sold about 33,000 lbs. of chicken.

Thomas is charged with breach of trust with fraudulent intent and is valued at $10,000 or more.

The worker gave insight into what the company could do to better manage the security of the plant.

“I guess the checkpoint to make sure on who’s coming in and out, what’s on the trucks and all of that,” the worker said. “I have no idea on how they get the trucks out there cause usually there’s these big trucks with freezers in them so I’m guessing they have one of those.”

If found guilty, Thomas can spend up to 10 years in prison.

Thomas appeared in court on Monday morning and was granted a $50,000 bond, but has yet to pay it.

In May, WIS News 10 reported on a similar incident in the same county where two men were arrested after being accused of stealing $40,000 worth of boneless chicken breast from Pilgrim’s Pride. However, investigators said the two crimes are not connected.

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Days after a body was found by hunters wrapped in a tarp in the woods, the man was publicly identified by the Sumter County Coroner’s Office.

Frederick Ricardo Nelson Jr., a 34-year-old Sumter resident, was identified Wednesday through forensic testing that was completed with the assistance of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and was also confirmed by his family, Coroner Robbie Baker said in a news release.

An autopsy performed Tuesday at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston determined Nelson had been shot multiple times, according to the release.

There was no word on a shooter, or shooters, or anyone else involved. Information about a motive for the shooting was not available.

No arrests have been reported by the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, which is continuing to investigate Nelson’s death along with the coroner’s office and SLED.

At about 10 a.m. Sunday, a group of hunters made the grisly discovery about 30-40 feet off Cimmaron Road, Baker said.

The hunters said they noticed a strong smell emitting from the tarp, according to the release. There were six hunters in the group, and they immediately called 911, according to the sheriff’s office.

No other injuries were reported.

Baker said he estimated Nelson’s body had been in the woods between 1-2 weeks.

Anyone with information about the death is asked to call the coroner’s office at 803-436-2111, the sheriff’s office at 803-436-2000, CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.

In a breaking news situation, facts can be unclear and the situation may still be developing. The State is trying to get important information to the public as quickly and accurately as possible. This story will be updated as more information becomes available, and some information in this story may change as the facts become clearer. Refresh this page later for more updated information.

Three men were found dead inside a burning home, and a fourth man was hospitalized Wednesday, according to the Sumter County Coroner’s Office.

Sumter residents William Murray, 57, John Elswick 26, and Robert Blackowicz, 23, were pronounced dead at the scene of the house fire, Coroner Robbie Baker said in a news release.

The fourth man was taken to the Augusta Burn Center in Georgia to receive treatment for injuries he sustained in the fire, according to the release. Further information on that man’s condition was not available.

No other injuries were reported, and there was no word if anyone else was in the home at the time of the fire.

At about 3 a.m., emergency responders went to the burning building near the 5000 block of Alcott Drive, the coroner’s office said. That’s in the Wedgefield area, where a mobile home park is located.

Information about how long it took to extinguish the fire was not available.

There was no word on the extent of the damages, or if the home was considered a total loss.

The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, South Carolina State Fire Marshal’s Office, ATF in addition to the coroner’s office, according to the release. There was no word if foul play was suspected.

Information about the men’s causes of death was not available, but autopsies have been scheduled for Friday at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, the coroner said.

In a breaking news situation, facts can be unclear and the situation may still be developing. The State is trying to get important information to the public as quickly and accurately as possible. This story will be updated as more information becomes available, and some information in this story may change as the facts become clearer. Refresh this page later for more updated information.

The city says water can be discolored because of iron in the ground water aquifer sources, but is not hazardous to touch or drink. Some resident still want it fixed.

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SUMTER, S.C. — Some Sumter residents are waking up to discolored water from their faucets, which they've seen periodically for years. They say it can sometimes be yellow, brown or red, but it usually goes away after a few hours.

"Everything was great until the red water started," Doug Jones said.

Jones moved to Sumter 35 years ago, living in three different locations throughout the city over the past few decades. At each new place he moved to, Jones tells me the "red water" followed. He even worked with a neighbor to create a Facebook page where residents used to document the discoloration. While the pictures are from a few years ago, Jones tells me the water periodically looks the same.

The City of Sumter said this discoloration comes from iron.

"The discolored water is iron, which is a naturally occurring mineral dissolved in our ground water aquifer sources. It is not hazardous and will not cause any health issues if ingested or touched; however, it can stain clothes in the wash," Shelley Kile, the city's communications manager, said in a statement.

Some residents like Jones, however, are concerned about the elevated iron levels.

"I have to control my iron level, and I certainly can't control it with the quality of water that the city is used to providing me and charging me for," Jones said.

Jones has hemochromatosis, meaning his body stores too much iron as it is, which he realized through genetic testing.

"What really got me is I was going into the airport in Columbia, and I was routinely setting off the metal detector," Jones said about one of the symptoms that led to his diagnosis.

He said elevated iron levels in the water are problematic for Jones and others like him.

"How could a city of our size not be able to overcome iron in the water?" he asked.

The city said it had installed automatic blowoff valves in areas where this "red water" is a common occurrence.

It also said it "flushes fire hydrants to reduce the chance of iron deposition in the water lines."

Despite these efforts, the city said certain events, like "fire hydrants being flowed, waterline breaks, changes in water plant operations or water plants being taken offline for maintenance," can cause the iron to appear in water coming from residents' faucets.

This is because "during an event that causes an increase in the velocity or change in the direction of the water flow in the potable water lines, the iron deposited in the water line will become suspended in the potable water."

The city does conduct a water quality report each year and said while the water can pick up substances like inorganic or organic chemicals, the drinking water is safe and meets all federal requirements. Residents like Jones, however, want to find a way to remove the high iron levels.

"We probably need to look outside of Sumter, South Carolina, to get a fix," Jones said. "We all collectively hoped that the city would take all these people seriously because, again, we're property owners, and we pay taxes to the county; we pay taxes to the city. All we're asking for is clean drinking water. It doesn't seem that difficult for other municipalities to provide that."

The city tells News 19 that if residents experience discolored water, they should report their physical address to the Public Services Department by calling 803-436-2558.