BEAUFORT, S.C. (AP) -- Beaufort County sheriff's deputies say a man charged in a shooting death on Christmas Eve has tried to escape from jail.
The Beaufort Gazette reported that police say 27-year-old Preston Oates tried to break out of his cell Sunday.
Police Chief Matt Clancy says Oates has been charged with malicious injury to property and attempted escape. Police say Oates damaged the window of his cell.
Oates was in jail on charges of manslaughter and a weapon violation in the shooting death of 34-year-old Carlos Olivera of Bluffton during an argument on Christmas Eve. Police say Oates was a tow truck driver who had placed an immobilizing wheel boot on Olivera's minivan. The men were both armed and Olivera was shot.
Clancy says the damage to the cell was about $2,000.
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