Money Stolen from Teacher’s Purse

Two hundred and twenty dollars was reported stolen from a Douglas Elementary school teacher’s purse Jan. 9.  According to an Edgefield County Sheriff’s Office report on the incident, the teacher and her assistant went to lunch earlier in the day with their class leaving their classroom unlocked.  Upon returning, the teacher found that the money was missing from a wallet inside her purse which had been left in the classroom.  The assistant’s purse was said to have appeared to have been gone through and her wallet was not where it was normally kept.  However, nothing was reported missing from the assistant’s purse.  A janitor did come into the classroom while the class was at lunch to gather the trash.  He stated that he found the door unlocked and did not lock it when he left.  He also stated that he did not take the money and did not know who might have taken it.

Theft on Indian Ridge

The Edgefield County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of theft at a home on Indian Ridge Drive in North Augusta (Edgefield County), Jan. 10, where nearly $1,000 worth of building material was said to have been stolen.  According to an ECSO report, the property owner, who is in the process of building a home at the location, had gone out of town over the weekend and, upon returning, found construction items missing from inside the structure on the property.  Missing were 2 rolls cooper wire valued at $300 a roll and 4 boxes of framing nails said to be worth $85 a box.

The property owner stated he did not know who might have taken the items, and the ECSO is investigating this matter.

Vandalisms Reported in Two Separate Incidents

Two separate reports of vandalism were made to the Edgefield County Sheriff’s Office last week.  The first was made on Jan. 9 by a man who owns property on the 600 block of Bakers Branch Drive in North Augusta (Edgefield County).  According to the ECSO report, after recently evicting tenants from the home on the property, the owner went to clean up the property.  However, when he went inside the home, the owner stated that he found damage to the ceiling throughout the home, 4 doors and a bathtub damaged, damage to a front window, and damage to a kitchen cabinet and the kitchen floor.  The total amount of damage done to the residence was estimated to be nearly $3,000.  However, the homeowner did not wish to file charges in this case.

The second act of vandalism was to property on the 200 block of Community Road in North Augusta (Edgefield County) and was reported to the ECSO on Jan. 11.  In this case, the property owner stated that a family member had been living in the doublewide on the property but that that family member had moved out in mid-December.  The owner stated that he had planned to sell the property as there was no longer anyone living in the residence.  However, he was notified on Jan. 2 that the mobile home had been vandalized.  Going to the property, the owner found that every window of the home had been knocked out, and the sheetrock had been ripped off the walls.  The damage was said to be so bad to the home that it would cost more to repair the damages than the home is worth.

A possible piece of evidence was found at this scene and turned over to the ECSO for processing.  This area is to be placed under extra patrol, and this case was forwarded to the investigation unit of the ECSO.

Stolen Vehicle Recovered

On Jan. 13 the Edgefield County Sheriff’s recovered a vehicle reported stolen out of Aiken County.  According to the incident report on this matter, the ACSO notified the ECSO that the ACSO had received a call stating that a vehicle reported stolen in their county was located at Expert Collision, an Edgefield County business.  The ECSO then went to Expert Collision where it was confirmed that the business was in possession of the stolen 2014 black Nissan Versa.  However, the owner of the business told law enforcement that he did not know the vehicle was stolen.  He explained that had been contacted to tow the vehicle by the SC Highway Patrol on Dec. 16 after it was found wrecked on Ripley Street in Johnston.  The business owner also stated that he was told by SCHP that there was no one around the vehicle when law enforcement arrived on the scene and that no one had been reported driving the vehicle.  The vehicle was also reported to not be in drivable condition due to it having been involved in a roll over.

The business owner agreed to hold the vehicle until the ACSO contacts him.