Columbia, SC – Columbia, S.
Saturday’s fire burned nearly to the ground on land listed in property records owned by Circuit Judge Diane Goodstein on a remote part of Edisto Island, authorities said.
Mark Keel Mark Keel said in a statement that the investigation remains active and ongoing and agents will issue a report when they have completed and determined the cause.
“At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that the fire was intentionally set. Sled agents have essentially found that there is no evidence to support a pre-extinguishing explosion,” Keel said.
Keel and his agents have released no further details.
Three people were injured in the fire and one was transported by helicopter to the Medical University of South Carolina, according to the Colleton County Heat. The names of the infected people have not been released.
The first floor of the house was raised from the ground and the injured had to jump to the ground. The St. Paul Fire District in St. Paul said they had to be rescued by several boats from their backyard Statement on social media.
Video from the fire department showed the house completely engulfed in flames. Drone photos taken later showed only a few charred wooden supports standing amid the blackened rubble.
Goodstein He was a state judge for 27 years, handling thousands of cases. Speculation immediately settled on one of her final decisions in which Goodstein blocked the South Carolina Elections Commission from releasing voter data requested by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Her restraining order was lifted about a week later by the state Supreme Court, which said Goodstein failed to detail whether the voter who sued would be irreparably harmed or demonstrated that she was likely to win the suit on the merits.
Keel almost never releases statements as investigations continue beyond basic facts. But the last sentence of his statement on Monday indicated a reason for an exception.
“I urge our citizens, elected officials, and members of the press to exercise good judgment and not share unverified information,” wrote Keel, who has led the State Police since 2011.
The General Assembly elects judges in South Carolina and when Goodstein last ran for her seat in 2022, Judicial Merit Examination Committee He noticed her sterling reputation and temperament and invited her as an asset to the state.
Nearly two decades ago, Goodstein presided over a civil lawsuit that led to a $12 million settlement between sexual abuse victims and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston.
He also chaired it in 2014 over the course of a Trial of property disputes Between the national Episcopal Church and the separate diocese in South Carolina spilled over theological differences, including the authority of Scripture and the LGBT ordination.