STATE BRIEFS

Baby sitter

gets 30 years

FLORENCE - A 21-yearold man hired to baby-sit three children has been found guilty of killing a 3-month-old boy.

A judge sentenced Steven Joye to 30 years in prison Thursday, not long after a Florence County jury took an hour to find him guilty of homicide by child abuse.

Prosecutors say Joye struck David McDaniel in the head and left him unattended for hours until the boy's father came home. The infant died two days later.

Authorities say Joye was living with the baby's family and taking care of their three children while the couple worked.

Joye didn't testify, but maintained his innocence with his lawyer saying the baby was hurt when Joye tripped over the family dog while holding him.

Missing laptop

has SS numbers

COLUMBIA - A laptop containing the names and Social Security numbers of around 400 state health department employees is missing.

The Department of Health and Environmental Control says the computer was inside a worker's vehicle when it was stolen last week from a Spartanburg convenience store.

State officials say the password-protected computer contains personal information of state health department workers from Spartanburg, Cherokee, Union, Greenville and Pickens counties.

The agency has notified credit reporting bureaus about the theft.

State officials say there is no evidence that the employees' names or Social Security numbers have been used.

Woman admits

killing husband

LEXINGTON - A woman has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after she admitted she shot her exhusband in the chest as he did yard work at his Pelion home.

Prosecutors say 52-yearold Ann Baxley Smith pleaded guilty Thursday to voluntary manslaughter.

Authorities say 62-year-old Woodrow Smith documented vandalism as well as harassing phone calls and notes from his ex-wife before he was killed in May 2006.

Prosecutors say Ann Smith also pointed her gun at her ex-husband's girlfriend, but did not fire.