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Bump in the night: Local man investigates paranormal
ROBERT COTTINGHAM / THE ITEM
Michael Cotterman Jr. has turned his passion with the paranormal into an investigative business called Dark Days Paranormal. He said his passion with the paranormal began when he was 14 when he saw his first apparition.
By Rob Cottingham rcottingham@theitem.com
Do you believe in ghosts?
How about demons and poltergeists?
Many of us have had our hair stand on end or perhaps a chill run down our spine only to brush it off, but if there is one thing that Michael Cotterman Jr. passionately believes in, it is the existence of paranormal beings.
"I saw my first apparition when I was 14," Cotterman said. "A person passed away while I was in school. I saw him the day after, walking among us. Since then, it's become a passion of mine."
During the past 15 years, Cotterman has turned his passion into an investigative business called Dark Days Paranormal, consisting of himself and several others who investigate reports of possessions, hauntings and presences of paranormal beings. His ventures have led him to head several paranormal investigations, including the 1976 mystery couple that was killed near Interstate 95 in Sumter County. He's even explored a former residence of Pee Wee Gaskins that's in the area. Cotterman's dedication to the field earned him a spot working alongside former Sumter resident Ryan Buell, the director and chief investigator of "Paranormal State" on the A&E channel.
Currently, there are four active members of Dark Days Paranormal and four trainees. Cotterman of Sumter and Charles Coker of Cheraw are co-directors, and Bobby Brock and Kevin Brown, both of Cheraw, are the lead investigators.
"We primarily deal with demons, ghosts and poltergeists," Cotterman said. "But we've been known to look into numerous other activities."
According to Cotterman, ghosts tend to haunt locations for an extended amount of time while poltergeists tend to focus on a person for usually a few months. As for demons, the definition or explanation is essentially general knowledge.
"Make no mistake about demons; they are only evil and are intent on doing bad things to those they attach themselves to or possess," Cotterman said.
When a demon attaches itself to someone, it is the equivalent to a ghost "picking" where it haunts. It will follow you around until it is removed by rituals such as exorcisms, he explained.
So how does one communicate with the other side? While being gifted helps, there are tools that help track, observe and record behaviors of apparitions as well as communicate with them.
Cotterman says he typically uses a night-vision camera, a full spectrum camera, an infrared camera, Melmeters and K2meters that observe voltage, electromagnetic fields and temperatures, and a flashlight.
Two particularly interesting tools of the trade are the Ovilus device and the Ghost Box.
The Ovilus device takes energy signatures, such as electromagnetic fields, and translates that energy into messages based on a pre-programmed dictionary. The Ghost Box is "like a digital Ouija board," according to Cotterman, that allows more direct communication between people in our world and spectres from theirs.
Though still in its infantile stages, paranormal contact is becoming just as much as science for people such as Cotterman as it is a spiritual belief.
Cotterman said he is indeed quite spiritual.
He has several tattoos that display his religious beliefs, such as one illustration of Hell's gates on his left arm and several crosses that adorn his right forearm. Cotterman also wears a blessed rosary around his neck through all investigations.
"We've taken part in exorcisms, as well," he said. "Three of them so far, myself. They're quite the amazing and intense experience."
Cotterman said that they call in priests for the actual exorcism but participate on the communication end of things as part of the investigation.
When dealing with something as misunderstood and complex as the supernatural, things can apparently get dangerously violent.
"Once, while I was investigating a demonic presence I discovered three scratch marks across my back," Cotterman said. "Another time, we asked the apparition to cause a flashlight to flicker. When the flashlight blinked, a forklift glided across the warehouse, its fork shooting sparks all over as it scraped the pavement."
But that's not the closest he's been to the "other side," he said.
Perhaps his most involved incident ties in with the Rifle Range Road investigation.
Cotterman said that he and his team went to investigate a disturbance in a business in Charleston. What they found was a possible demonic possession in the business owner's son, who claimed to be tormented by a demon, often waking up beaten and bruised.
Through their communication efforts, the entity first identified itself as "Gordon," and was later found out to be a demon by the name of Nysrogh. It was during this investigation that Cotterman found the three scratches.
The day after the team left, the boy jumped off the second floor of his home and landed directly on his head.
He survived. The demon, however, moved on to a new target.
"The demon attached itself to me," he said. "It tortured me for quite a while. I would feel hands around my throat and sometimes felt like I was being held to the bed."
As with most who believe in the paranormal, Cotterman is no stranger to ridicule. He seems to hold no angst against them.
"You can't force someone to believe in something, no matter how hard you try," he said, smiling. "If they want to believe, they will. I know what I've experienced."
Posted in Local news, News on Wednesday, October 31, 2012
MICHAEL S. COTTERMAN JR.
Posted Sunday, February 4, 2018 2:00 am
Michael Steven Cotterman Jr., 33, died on Friday, Feb. 2, 2018, at Palmetto Health Tuomey.
Born in Sumter, he was a son of Michael S. Sr. and Deborah Price Cotterman.
Survivors include his parents of Sumter; one brother, Robert Cotterman of California; paternal grandfather, Royal Cotterman of Sidney, Ohio; aunts, Cathy Price of Sumter and Darlene Harmon of Virginia; an uncle, Danny Price of Delaware; and two aunts and two uncles of Ohio.
He was preceded in death by his paternal grandmother, Sarah Cotterman; and maternal grandparents, Daniel L. Price Jr. and Elene Jones Price.
A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday at Sumter Cemetery with the Rev. Billy Brewer officiating.
The family will receive friends at the home.
Elmore-Cannon-Stephens Funeral Home and Crematorium of Sumter is in charge of the arrangements. [1, 2] |
1985 - 2018 (33 years)
