Two Charged With Attempted Murder

The Edgefield County Sheriff’s Office has charged two male suspects with two counts of attempted murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime in response to an incident that happened on Hwy 191 on June 13 in which the pair allegedly shot at a vehicle carrying a man and his pregnant girlfriend. According to the ECSO, the suspects, one a 23 year old man from Edgefield and the other a 29 year old from Saluda, SC, were riding in a vehicle on Hwy 191 when they attempted to get the victims’ vehicle to stop. When the male driver of that vehicle would not pull over and stop, the suspects drove their vehicle in front of the victims’ and slammed on brakes forcing it to stop. The 23 year old suspect, the passenger in the offending vehicle, then exited the car and proceeded to confront the driver of the other car. The driver told the ECSO that he could see a firearm in the waistband of the suspect confronting him, so he started to drive away from the scene. However, as the victims’ car sped away, the suspects reportedly fired multiple shots at escaping vehicle. The victims were able to drive to a safe location in Aiken County where they called law enforcement. Additionally, they sustained no physical injuries as a result of the shooting.

The ECSO did recover a gun believed to have been used in this incident. The 29 year old suspect, the alleged driver in the shooting, turned himself into law enforcement on June 20 after the apprehension of the younger suspect. Both suspects have been released on $65,000 bond. The ECSO is continuing to investigate this crime.

—

Arrests Made in Attempted Drug Buy

A routine patrol of Edgefield County led to an ECSO deputy thwarting a suspected drug buy on June 16. According to an ECSO report on the matter, the deputy had just turned onto to Murrah Road from Springhaven Drive in North Augusta (Edgefield County) a little before midnight when he observed a red Ford parked on the right hand side of the road facing against the flow of traffic. As the deputy’s vehicle neared the parked vehicle, he saw a black male in his early fifties walk away from the vehicle towards a residence on Murrah Road. When the deputy approached on foot, he found a white female and white male in the vehicle. When asked what they were doing, the pair stated that they were picking up money that the man seen exiting the scene owed them.

While another deputy stood by with the pair, who were at this point being detained due to the discovery of a green leafy plant like substance after the two consented to a search of their vehicle, a second deputy went to look for the man seen leaving the scene. He was found hiding in a vehicle behind his residence on Murrah Road. When questioned about the situation, the man told law enforcement that he had given the couple in the vehicle $30 to purchase crack from them. He maintained he did not know who the pair were only that he knew people that they knew. He further maintained that he never received the crack because the deputy rode up on the drug buy before it was completed. However, an off white rock like substance believed to be crack cocaine was found in the seat of the vehicle where the man was found hiding.

The woman involved in this matter refused to speak to law enforcement about the incident. However, the male with her confirmed that the man seen walking away from their vehicle did give the two $30 for a drug which he stated the woman did give to the man. The thirty dollars was found to be in the woman’s possession. Additionally, inside the woman’s pocketbook the aforementioned green leafy plant like substance believed to marijuana was found in a clear plastic bag hidden in a case for reading glasses. These items along with a small grenade shaped grinder, some small Zip Lock bags, a digital scale on which there was a white powder substance, a Brillo pad, and two cell phones were confiscated from the scene.

The female in this case was arrested and charged with failure to surrender a suspended driver’s license and Simple Possession of Marijuana 1^st. Her male companion was arrested and also charged with Simple Possession of Marijuana 1^st. However, additional investigation into the matter led to the pair also being charged later with distribution of crack cocaine.

A custody hold for possession of crack cocaine was placed on the man who tried to buy the drug. A background check on this suspect also revealed that he was wanted in McCormick County, and they would extradite him. All three suspects were transported to the Edgefield County Detention Center without incident.