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A 58-year-old Orangeburg man pleaded guilty to attempted murder in a machete attack that almost severed a woman’s fingers.

Leonard Rivers, of 650 Whaley Street, appeared before Circuit Judge Cothran Ferrell during a recent term of court in Orangeburg County.

Ferrell sentenced Rivers to 10 years in prison, provided that after he served 26 months, the sentence would be suspended to two years of probation.

Ferrell gave Rivers credit for having already served 26 months at the Orangeburg County Detention Center.

Rivers’ charge stems from a Jan. 25, 2020 machete attack on a woman in the yard of a Par Street home.

Witnesses had to break up the assault.

The woman suffered an eight-inch gash across her forehead and several fingers were nearly severed.

In other recent guilty pleas:

• Iane Tiffany Montagnese, 30, of 1493 Tee Vee Road, Elloree, pleaded guilty to second-offense DUI with a blood alcohol concentration of at least .10 but less than .16.

Ferrell sentenced her to one year in prison, suspended to four years of probation.

At the discretion of prosecutors, charges of open container of alcohol and transporting alcohol with a broken seal were dismissed.

• Clarence Antwan Sumpter, 26, of 139 Brigadier Lane, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and battery.

Ferrell sentenced him to one day in jail and gave him credit for time served.

• Dan Herman Westbury Jr., 50, of 148 Frisco Road, Neeses, pleaded guilty to grand larceny valued at more than $2,000 but less than $10,000.

Ferrell sentenced him to three years in prison, suspended to two years of probation.

He also ordered Westbury to complete substance abuse counseling.

At the discretion of prosecutors, they dismissed Westbury’s charge of second-degree non-violent burglary.

• Tanya Lynn Mitchell, 29, of 5028 Haskell Lane, Walterboro, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and battery.

Ferrell sentenced her to 130 days in jail and gave her credit for time served.

• Mark Michael Smith, 71, of 860 Rail Street, Bowman, pleaded guilty to breach of trust with fraudulent intent valued more than $2,000 but less than $10,000.

Ferrell sentenced him to 30 months in prison.

At the time of Smith’s guilty plea, he was already in prison for one count of non-violent second-degree burglary and two counts of grand larceny valued more than $2,000 but less than $10,000.

• Thomas James Spires, 38, of 117 Sangria Circle, Cordova, pleaded guilty to three counts of second or subsequent failure to stop for blue lights and one count each of unlawful carrying of a pistol and first-offense possession of less than one gram of methamphetamine or cocaine base.

Spires was originally charged with two counts of first-offense failure to stop for blue lights, but ended up pleading guilty to two counts of second or subsequent failure to stop for blue lights instead. He was also facing a single count of second or subsequent failure to stop for blue lights. That charge remained.

Ferrell sentenced Spires to five years in prison, giving him credit for having already served 252 days in jail.

As part of Spires’ plea agreement, prosecutors dropped the following charges: two counts each of open container of beer, first-offense driving under suspension license not suspended for driving under the influence, motor vehicle registration and licensing violation, first-offense uninsured motor vehicle fee and use of license plate other than for vehicle which issued; and one count each of second-offense DUI less than .10 blood alcohol concentration, second-offense DUS license suspended for DUI and second-offense uninsured motor vehicle fee violation.

• Sharon Ann Brown, 54, of 665 Fourwind Road, Holly Hill, pleaded guilty to first-offense possession of a controlled substance.

Circuit Judge R. Markley Dennis sentenced her to jail for 84 days, giving her credit for time served.

• Trans Chisolm, 38, of 42 Hagood Avenue, Denmark, pleaded guilty to second-degree domestic violence.

Dennis sentenced him to 18 months in prison, suspended to one year of probation.

Contact the writer: mbrown@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5545. Follow on Twitter: @MRBrownTandD

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Martha Rose Brown covers crime and other topics. She's worked as a journalist in the region for the past 19 years.

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