Manning man in stable condition after stabbing

By ROBERT BAKER
Item Staff Writer
bbaker@theitem.com

MANNING – A 42-year-old man who was stabbed late Monday afternoon is in stable condition at Palmetto Health Richland in Columbia.

Ernest Lee Richardson, of 1385 Joseph Lemon Dingle Road in Manning, was airlifted from Clarendon Memorial Hospital about 5:45 p.m. Monday after his 53-year-old girlfriend allegedly stabbed him in the chest while the two were arguing at their home.

Clarendon County Sheriff Randy Garrett said the woman told police that she and Richardson began arguing after she confronted him about using her vehicle from Thursday through Monday. She said he began hitting her when she told Richardson she was going to Charleston to see her mother.

"He beat her pretty severely with a (garden) hoe," Garrett said.

Reports indicate that Richardson also beat the woman with his fists several times.

The woman told police she did not know how Richardson had been stabbed.

"I think in all the (commotion), she just didn't remember," Garrett said. "He was beating her pretty badly. The handle on the hoe was broken into about four or five pieces."

Garrett said the woman was treated at Clarendon Memorial Hospital for injuries to her face and head and that she had been released. He said the woman would not likely be charged with any crime.

"At this point in time, it looks like self-defense," Garrett said.

He said deputies had not had a chance to talk with Richardson yet, but that charges could come later for him.

"Charges could definitely be pending," Garrett said. "We have not had a chance to talk to him yet, but he is in stable condition in the hospital in Columbia."