Neighbors of South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein and her husband, former state senator Arnold Goodstein, saw plumes of smoke rising from the home Saturday as a fire threatened Arnold’s life.
According to the St. Paul’s Fire District Facebook page, its crews responded to reports of the structure fire on Edisto Island, where the home is located. It is a barrier island “with significant challenges such as limited water supply and tight areas,” the fire district explained.
Crews from other departments, including the Edisto Beach Fire Department, also helped with the effort. The Charleston Fire Department helped cover other emergencies in the area.
“Due to the remoteness and layout of the lot, the occupants had to be rescued from the backyard via kayaks and brought to Colleton County EMS where they received medical aid,” St. Paul’s Fire District added. Those occupants also had to jump out of an elevated first floor to escape the flames. A fire engine from the district caught a draft from a nearby pond to secure water supply for battling the flames.
Tom Peterson, the Goodsteins’ neighbor, said the judge told him she was walking her dogs on the beach when the fire broke out, according to a report in the Post and Courier. Peterson said the judge also revealed her husband was injured and stranded in a marshy area behind the home, located off Planters Retreat in the Jeremy Cay Community.
In addition to first responders, the Post and Courier said several neighbors helped rescue the former senator using a canoe and rope. Two people were rescued from the area along with Arnold, said the outlet, citing St. Paul’s Fire District. All three were hospitalized with injuries and one was air-evacuated to the Medical University of South Carolina, according to Cpt. K.C. Campbell with the Colleton County Fire Rescue.
“The extent of their injuries had not been publicly released on Oct. 5,” said the Post and Courier. It added that the State Law Enforcement Division “confirmed it is actively investigating the incident.”
Diane Goodstein was born and raised in South Carolina and received her bachelors and juris doctor degrees in North Carolina. She has two children with Arnold and the couple are members of the Charleston Temple Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim. Arnold served in the senate as a Democrat and
“Judge Goodstein was elected by the South Carolina General Assembly to the position of Resident Circuit Judge for the First Judicial Circuit in May 1998,” according to her biography. “She has since been appointed to the Circuit Court Judges Advisory Committee and is a member of the Commission on Judicial Conduct.”
Last month, FitsNews reported that the South Carolina Supreme Court “unanimously reversed a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction,” issued by Goodstein. With that order, Goodstein blocked the state’s election officials from handing over its voter registration database to President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice.