Arrest made in Society Hill break-ins
Sierra Moore with Pee Dee Coalition listens as Society Hill Mayor Tommy Bradshaw reads the proclamation recognizing April as Sexual Assault Awareness and Child Abuse Prevention Month in the Town of Society Hill.
Photo by Melissa Rollins
By Melissa Rollins, Editor, editor@newsandpress.net
Due to a lack of a quorum, Society Hill Town Council could not have an official meeting April 10. Instead, Mayor Tommy Bradshaw and Tammy Gandy, the sole councilperson present, unofficially heard committee reports and a presentation from a representative of the Pee Dee Coalition.
Police Chief David Young shared about preparations for the upcoming Taste of Society Hill. He then talked about an arrest that was made by the town’s part-time officer.
“There were a few months there were we had a few burglaries and thefts and we had developed a suspect at that time,” Young said. “It was a young man that was out on parole from Texas that was living in town; he was out on parole from burglaries. At that time, we just didn’t have enough evidence and couldn’t prove that he was the one that committed these crimes.”
Many of the thefts occurred last year, Young said, but the police department caught a break when a citizen made a report.
“On the last day of February, Lieutenant Gillespie was here,” Young said. “We had a citizen come in and tell Lieutenant Gillespie that he had witnessed a young man, this same young man, go into a vacant residence on St. David’s Street. Lieutenant Gillespie responded over there and he caught this young man inside the residence, in the act. He had broken into this residence and was attempting to steal the water heater.”
Young said that this break was just what they needed to make an arrest.
“Well, he caught him in the act and we charged him with Second Degree Burglary and Petite Larceny,” Young said. “It was the same individual that (we suspected) last year.”
Young said that while it was just a single arrest, it would do a lot to help the small town, which has a low crime rate.
“One arrest might not seem like too much but I consider this a big arrest for Society Hill,” Young said. “I believe this individual was responsible for multiple incidents last year and I wanted to recognize Lieutenant Gillespie for making this arrest. He personally made this arrest and he deserves all the credit for it. This individual is in jail and he’s having trouble making bond. Hopefully he’ll be in jail for a while and maybe when he’s released he doesn’t return to Society Hill.”
Sierra Moore, the Pee Dee Coalition Victim’s Advocate for the City of Darlington, spoke about what the organization does.
“April is nationally recognized as Sexual Assault Awareness and Child Abuse Prevention Month,” Moore said. “Our goal is to raise public awareness about sexual assault and educate communities about how to prevent it.”
Mayor Bradshaw signed a proclamation, recognizing April as Sexual Assault Awareness and Child Abuse Prevention Month in the Town of Society Hill.