CRIME REPORTS - 12/23/2021

Posted

Guns, drugs seized in traffic stop
By HEATHER RUPPE

Several guns and approximately 21 grams of marijuana were seized from three young men during a traffic stop in Walterboro last week. A Walterboro Police officer stopped the suspect’s vehicle because the Honda Accord had a headlight out. While conducting the traffic stop, the driver did not have his driver's license on him, and the officer said in his report that he could smell marijuana coming from the car. When he asked the men if there were any illegal items in the car, the driver then said he had a gun under his legs. The passenger also said he had a gun in the back seat. The officer called for more deputies to assist him, and the three men were asked to step out of the car.
The men are ages 18, 19 and 23; two are from Walterboro.
They were cited with possession of marijuana and the unlawful carrying if a pistil, and they were released at the scene. The seized guns include a tactical AR-15 and two 9-mm Glock handguns, along with multiple bullets, the report states.

Car vandalized at local bar
Law enforcement officers were called to Sure Shots bar on Sniders Highway on Dec. 14th to a report of someone vandalizing a car. According to a Colleton County Sheriff’s Office incident report, deputies arrived and found a security guard pointing to a four-door black sedan in the bar’s parking lot. Standing behind that sedan was a white man, who the security guard claimed just keyed a car. The 53-year-old suspect was taken into custody and charged with malicious injury to animals and property, the report states.

Kid caught stealing mail
Deputies with the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office were called to a Sixth Street house in Walterboro on Dec. 15th to a report of a juvenile going into people’s mailboxes, taking their packages and then ripping them open. According to a sheriff’s office incident report, the juvenile was ripping open envelopes and packages and was also stealing some items. The case is under investigation.

Burglars kill homeowners’ dog
Unknown burglars broke into a Ruth Lane residence in Walterboro on Dec. 10th and also killed the homeowners’ dog. According to an incident report filed with the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office, the homeowner returned home and found the contents of his shed and house thrown all over his yard. The homeowner’s puppy had also been killed, and was found in the yard, the report states. There are no suspects, as of press deadline.

Fake rentor steals woman’s cash
A Colleton resident reported to authorities that she was swindled out of $2,400 by someone pretending to own property. According to a sheriff’s office incident report, the victim told authorities that she thought she was renting a mobile home and gave the alleged owner $2,400 in cash. However, when she went to the property, the actual owner said the person who took her cash had no right to do that. The woman has been swindled out of $2,400 and the case is under investigation.

Drunk driver thinks a road is his driveway
A drunken driver parked in the middle of Cyprus Drive and went to sleep in his car, thinking he was actually in his own driveway. According to a Walterboro Police Department incident report, an officer doing routine patrol on Dec. 6th spotted the vehicle parked in the middle of the roadway and found the suspect inside, sleeping. The officer approached the man’s window, knocked on the window and awakened the man, who then asked the officer, “Why are you bothering me in my driveway?” The officer told the man he was not in his driveway, and was actually in the middle of a road. The man was then told to get out of the car, at which point he could barely stand and was swaying in front of the officer, the report states. The man then began yelling at the officer, screaming profanities. He even spit inside the officers’ patrol car, and then yelled “racial laced profanities” at the officer, the report states. The man also repeatedly told the officer that a member of an elected politicians’ family from Colleton County raped and killed his son, the report states. The 60-year-old man is charged with disorderly conduct and open container.

Man on a bike steals candy from stores
Walterboro officers are looking for a man who has repeatedly stolen from a local gas station. In the suspect’s latest theft, he walked into Bells Highway store on Dec. 7th, took a king-sized Reese's Candy and 10 air fresheners and left without paying, according to a Walterboro Police Department incident report. The man has been identified through surveillance. He rides a bike and usually wears a black stocking hat and a multi-colored hoodie.

Wanderer cited for littering in the city
A Yemassee man was cited for littering and was found standing next to a spreading fire in Walterboro last week. Officers were called to an area behind Bells Highway near Citgo in Walterboro on Dec. 7th to reports of a fire. When they arrived, they found the 30-year-old suspect standing next to the fire, watching it spread. The man then claimed that he was “about to put the fire out” when officers arrived. The man was cited for littering and was told to leave the property. It is unclear what the man did to litter, as it is not listed in the report.