Mattress storein Ravenel, SC

RAVENEL, S.C. (WCSC) - Charleston County deputies say a standoff that began Tuesday night at a Ravenel home has ended with a man in custody.

Michael Shawn Sweeney, 52, is charged with domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature, first-degree assault and battery, and four counts of pointing and presenting a firearm, sheriff’s spokesman Andrew Knapp said.

Deputies took Sweeney, who had barricaded himself inside a home in the 6400 block of Farm House Road, into custody at approximately 8:45 p.m. Wednesday, just over a full 24 hours after they first responded to the neighborhood.

“SWAT team members made entry in a tactical operation and located him,” Knapp said. “He was arrested without significant incident.”

Deputies received a report about a domestic disturbance involving a weapon at approximately 8:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 6400 block of Farm House Road, Knapp said.

Two people who were inside the home were able to leave without injury, but deputies learned that Sweeney armed with firearms remained and barricaded himself inside, refusing to come out.

Just before 11 p.m., deputies called in the SWAT team and crisis negotiators as they continued their efforts to establish contact with him.

At times during the hours-long standoff, the man has come out of the home only to walk back inside. On at least one occasion, he was seen carrying a shotgun in front of deputies, Knapp said.

Knapp said throughout the standoff that there was no known danger to neighboring homes, and people who live in the area were allowed to come and go.

Knapp confirmed Tuesday night that they do have knowledge of past arrests and past “domestic-type incidents” at the house.

Charleston County jail records state Sweeney was booked into the jail on a charge of third-degree domestic violence on June 8.

Neighbors and witnesses reported hearing multiple sirens at different points throughout the standoff.

”Throughout the course of a standoff like this, we use various tactics to establish contact with someone inside a home, and that’s just one of those,” Knapp said. “Obviously, for neighbors in this area it can be unnerving, but everything is OK.”

No injuries have been reported in this incident.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

RAVENEL — For the third time in less than two years, this small suburban Charleston County town is poised to annex another sizable tract and expand its residential and commercial base.

Ravenel’s Planning Commission will hold the first of two public hearings Feb. 23 to consider adding 755 acres along County Line Road for the creation of The Preserve at Ravenel where Augusta-based Southeastern plans to build up to 350 residences across the street from its Poplar Grove development.

An affiliate of the Georgia builder bought the land in 2004 from MeadWestvaco Forestry LLC for $2.04 million, according to Charleston County property records.

Construction on houses and townhomes in The Preserve is planned to occur over five to 10 years on nearly 300 acres, according to Vic Mills, Southeastern’s CEO. Roughly half of that acreage is slated for parks, trails and open space around the planned residences.

Another 25 acres near a bend of Davison and County Line roads is set aside as a business node. About 130 acres, or 17 percent of the larger tract, is undevelopable wetlands.

Nearly half of the land set to be annexed, about 336 acres along the backside of The Preserve tract, is designated as agricultural land and not slated for development, according to Mills.

Ravenel Mayor Steve Tumbleston said he’s in favor of “some version” of the planned development, but he wants more input from the Planning Commission and the public.

“I think there is going to be some negotiations,” he said.

He noted the biggest concern he hears from residents is that the annexation will lead to an explosion of growth within the town’s limits.

“That just can’t happen,” Tumbleston said. “We don’t have the sewer capacity.”

The town has a new sewer system with a limit of about 2,000 taps for residential and commercial development. More than half of the taps have been set aside for already-approved ventures. The rest is committed to commercial projects, future affordable housing and infill development along U.S. Highway 17.

“The good thing is we don’t have to make real hard decisions in the future because the sewer capacity isn’t there,” Tumbleston said. “We can’t do another big development.”

The Preserve, which is not near the town’s main sewer line along U.S. Highway 17, is slated to tie into a Dorchester County sewer line that is treated by Charleston Water System, which handles all of Ravenel’s water and sewer service.

The new community will target active retirees as the principal homeowners and will add more amenities such as pickleball courts as the development builds out, Mills said.

If the town approves the annexation and development plan, Mills expects land clearing to begin by late this year or early next year, with the first houses completed in about two years.

The Preserve tract abuts Ravenel’s incorporated limits after the town annexed the nearly 3,000-acre Tea Farm tract off Old Jacksonboro Road in 2021. About 400 homes are planned for 397 acres closest to Old Jacksonboro Road within the Tea Farm parcel.

The town, which stretches along Savannah Highway and has a population of about 2,700, annexed another 600-acre tract, also in 2021, near Old Jacksonboro and New roads where 381 homes are planned in the Golden Grove development.

A second public hearing on the proposed annexation and development plan is set for Feb. 28 during the Ravenel Town Council meeting.

RAVENEL, S.C. (WCBD) – Ravenel leaders discussed Tuesday night plans for a proposed development that has some community members upset.

The proposed development is the Preserve at Ravenel, and community members voiced their opinions on the development before town council voted on the first reading.

Ravenel neighbors gathered in front of Ravenel Town Hall prior to Tuesday’s council meeting to discuss the proposed Preserve at Ravenel development.

“It’s been a very confusing process to all of us as concerned citizens,” Ravenel resident Melissa Barfield said. “So, now we’re just trying to figure out exactly what is going to happen.”

Some residents worry that the 755-acre development that would be located on Davison Road, and include 350 dwelling units and 25 acres of commercial space, would overwhelm the town’s roads.

“It’s traffic,” Barfield said. “Its traffic is what it is, and that’s our concern. We travel this road every day, not just me, but everybody who lives off or on Davison Road travel it every day and we see the traffic we sit in every morning. And it’s just going to create more.”

For neighbors like Angela Brown who grew up in Ravenel, she fears this development could be the start of transforming her home into a place seemingly unrecognizable.

“We have a history there,” Brown said. “I want to know, ‘What’s in it for us?’ You’re coming through our village. This is our village, and you’re just wanting to force something down our throats. I’m very disappointed that this is happening.”

During the meeting, council voted on the project’s first reading, and it passed unanimously.

After residents received a letter from Ravenel Mayor Stephen Tumbleston early Tuesday stating they would not be allowed to comment on the development at the meeting, they were permitted to do so.

“I just think there’s so many little things that can be changed to make this more palatable to the community,” one Ravenel resident said. “And we would probably say, ‘Yes, okay,’ if some of those changes were implemented. Otherwise, I think it’s a terrible idea.”

Mayor Tumbleston says the town has seen steady growth through the years, and he’s confident if this development is approved, it will be a major benefit to the community.

“Dorchester County using 165 now as a beltway around has had a huge impact on the traffic in our town,” Tumbleston said. “So, why can’t we grow a little bit, too? To reap some of the benefits, where we’re not just a speed bump for everybody else traveling through.”

The second reading will be voted on at next Tuesday’s (3/28) town council meeting.

RAVENEL, S.C. (WCSC) - A 350-unit housing development in the Town of Ravenel is one step closer to being built.

For some background, the proposed 350-unit development sits on 755 acres of land on Davidson Road, right across the street from Poplar Grove Equestrian Center.

According to the developer’s plans, 131 acres will be preserved as wetlands, 145 acres will be dedicated to green space and park and 25 acres will be for commercial use.

On Tuesday night, the town’s council unanimously approved the development during its first reading with contingencies, including adding a 100-foot buffer for residential areas and restricting gasoline sales, big box stores and boat stacking in the development’s commercial portion.

Some residents who attended Tuesday’s meeting said they are concerned about the impacts the development will have on the town’s infrastructure.

Angela Brown said she has lived in Ravenel her entire life. Brown said she’s not entirely against development in the town, but thinks 350 units will disturb the community.

“I’ve always known it as a rural area-- country. Walking bare feet on a dirt road, watching the birds in the trees, we used to play in the woods,” Brown said. “You’re coming through our village, this is our village, and you’re wanting to force something down our throats”

David Baird lives on Davidson Street-- the same street where the 350-unit development is proposed. He said people live and move to Ravenel for a reason, because it is rural.

“We’re not ready for that. It’s a rural area. It’s meant to be that way,” Baird said. “The road is small, there’s not really a way to expand the road without covering up current sewer lines.”

Mayor Stephen Tumbleston said the development will benefit the community financially and believes it will be noninvasive to the surrounding community.

“The entire Tri-County area is changing, and I don’t particularly like it. I grew up right down the road. I’ve seen the changes; we’re trying to manage that with the developments that we have approved,” Tumbleston said. “All the traffic that you see on Savannah Highway and all of our secondary roads, aren’t from anything that we’ve done in the last couple of years. It’s just the natural progression of the traffic that’s flowing through our town.”

The Costal Conservation League provided one of the comment letters that they sent to Mayor Tumbleston regarding the proposed development.

Although Tuesday’s approval was unanimous, it was just the first reading. The second reading will be held at next week’s town council meeting.

We’ve reached out to the developer for comment and have not heard back at this time.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Starting a new chapter! Cameran Eubanks and Thomas Ravenel are among the Southern Charm stars who have stepped away from the Bravo hit over the years.

Viewers were introduced to Eubanks when Southern Charm premiered in 2014. The reality series focuses on the personal and professional lives of several socialites in Charleston, South Carolina. After participating as a main cast member in six seasons, Eubanks shocked fans when she announced her departure in May 2020.

That same month, Eubanks shut down claims that she left due to her husband, Jason Wimberly, being unfaithful. “It has come to my attention that insidious rumors are now spreading and fake articles are being written … some of which pertain to my marriage,” she wrote via Instagram at the time.

While referring to the claims to the rumors as “upsetting,” Eubanks noted that she’s not surprised by them as “this is what reality television has come to nowadays and a large reason why I kept my marriage off air.”

At the time, the South Carolina native stood by her decision not to return to Southern Charm. “You must protect what is sacred to you. Some things aren’t worth a big paycheck,” she continued. “What upsets me the most is that my husband, who is the most sincere and faithful human I know is being falsely dragged into this. It disgusts me. He always supported me filming the show even though he wanted no part of the spotlight.”

Eubanks added: “I can’t get too upset though because this is what you sign up for when you put your life on reality TV … and why I’m getting out of it now. Drama is needed to stay relevant on reality television and sadly false rumors about other are sometimes created. Make of that what you will and consider the source.”

Ahead of the show’s eight season, Eubanks explained that she has no plans to come back. “If I was to ever go back on television, it would have to be something boring that didn’t involve fighting or having to talk about people,” she exclusively told Us Weekly in April 2022. “It would have to be a whole different — no, I couldn’t do it.”

The former reality star also confirmed she wasn’t approached to make a cameo in season 8. “I would go back and do it all over again,” she admitted. “I closed that door and there’s really no need for me to go back. I don’t think it would necessarily serve a purpose. But the show’s doing great.”

Scroll through for an update on the former Southern Charm stars: