Suspicious Fire Destroys Judge Goodstein's Home

A blaze destroyed the Edisto Island home of South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein on Saturday, gutting the beachfront property and sending three people to the hospital. Occupants — including Goodstein and her husband, former state Sen. Arnold Goodstein — jumped from an elevated first floor and were rescued by kayak; one person was airlifted to the Medical University of South Carolina. State investigators with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division are treating the incident as suspicious after reports of an explosion and are actively investigating while local law enforcement and the Judicial Branch provide extra security and oversight. The fire has drawn attention because Goodstein last month temporarily blocked the state from turning over millions of voters' personal records to the U.S. Department of Justice, prompting questions about motive. Officials have released few details about the cause or the victims' conditions as SLED collects evidence, and property records show the house is owned by Goodstein and her husband.