<strong>Beaufort man sentenced to 20 years for shooting</strong>
A 20-year-old Beaufort man was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday after being convicted of a 2011 St. Helena Island shooting.
At the conclusion of a four-day trial, jurors found Jabari Linnen guilty of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature and possession of a weapon during commission of a violent crime.
At approximately 2:15 p.m. on April 21, 2011, Linnen shot Kenneth Nichols, then 20, at the intersection of Luther Warren Road and Seaside Road. The two men had an ongoing dispute.
“The shooting of an unarmed man is a very cowardly act,” said Deputy Solicitor Sean Thornton, who prosecuted the case. “Had the victim died, I would have called it an execution.”
Judge Diane Goodstein sentenced Linnen to the maximum penalty for both charges.

<strong>Sheriff’s Office deems house fire suspicious</strong>
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fire that destroyed a St. Helena home early in the morning on Tuesday, Sept. 18.
Just after 1:30 am, Sheriff’s deputies responded to 7 Edding White Drive in reference to a structure fire. Upon arrival, deputies found the home fully engulfed in flames. The home was unoccupied at the time of the fire, and was under renovation by the owner.
At this time, the cause of the fire remains undetermined and is being considered suspicious in nature, as the home currently had no electricity. Members of the Beaufort County Fire Scene Investigations responded and assisted in the ongoing investigation and evidence collection.
Anyone with information is asked to contact either Investigator Sgt. C. Wilson at 843-255-3409 or the Beaufort County Dispatch Center at 843-524-2777.