A truck belonging to a North company was stolen from a gated area recently. It was broad daylight at lunchtime.

The next day, the owner received a phone call saying his truck has been spotted near Poole's Mill. When the owner got there, a chase ensued up S.C. 3 toward Swansea.

Turning onto Woodford Road, the stolen truck stopped and two men jumped out into a wooded area.

The stolen, and later recovered, truck was one of several burglaries and thefts that have occurred in western Orangeburg County in recent weeks, starting with small items and progressing now to cars and ATVs.

The list of private homes and property hit reads like a shortened version of the phone book, covering western Orangeburg County. But only slightly shortened.

Axson, Williamson, Livingston, Witt, Chavis, Argoe, Sharpe. And on and on. Residents say at least a dozen burglaries have occurred in recent weeks in western Orangeburg County.

As if to emphasize the point, the day after the truck was found, a Neeses resident n.jpgied police of a missing ATV. The Leola Lane resident said the red 2007 Honda TRX680 was worth about $9,500.

"We've seen an increase in petty larcenies and a slight increase in grand larceny," Sheriff Larry Williams said. "We've had success in solving some, and we've have little success in solving others. It's been an ongoing occurrence."

In October on Redmond Mill Road east of North, Mac Livingston said his property was burglarized, the thieves making off with about $2,500 worth of tools.

"All our neighbors have been hit," Livingston said, listing a neighbor's golf cart, lawn mowers, more tools, even a small boat. "They knew what they were looking for."

West of town on Sally Road, a home was hit for several thousand dollars in musical instruments. Another got taken for a couple of welders and a grinder.

One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said after his property was burglarized, he followed a U-Haul truck that appeared to be driving aimlessly through residential areas. He didn't want anyone else's property stolen, he said.

Situated in the middle of what appears to be the hardest-hit area, North Police Chief Mark Fallaw said he had been aware of the burglaries happening just outside of his jurisdiction. Fallaw said that only recently have the thefts entered his town.

"I attribute that to being proactive and stopping cars and making them (drivers) scared to come in," Fallaw said.

Connected or not, it seems the crime spree may have now bled over into the North Police Department's jurisdiction. At least two cars have been stolen recently and a number of catalytic converters were taken from other vehicles within the town's police coverage area.

Police there noted a suspicious vehicle has been visiting local businesses, Fallaw said.

With the amount of items and the number of incidents, investigators are leaning toward the theories that either there is a warehouse somewhere being used to store the stolen items or someone is transporting them out of the area, possibly out of the state.

"After I've stolen 14 welders and 18 grinders, I can't keep taking it to the pawn shop," Fallaw said. "I can only pawn so much stuff before somebody says something. You have to have a means to get rid of them."

Williams said the increase in the number of burglaries isn't a phenomenon unique to the western portion of the county.

"This has been a trend across the state," the sheriff said. "In fact, we're working with Colleton County, where we have the same MO, the same type of thing."

Police have developed a possible description of one or more vehicles that have, at least in the eyes of law enforcement, become suspicious. But that information is still in its formative stages, Fallaw said.

"I hate to put out something that we haven't definitely linked" to the burglaries, he said.

Officials did say, however, that a green van had been seen in North, its occupants acting suspiciously by going to a North business asking if the owners wanted to buy lawn mowers.

Lexington County officials later discovered a green van located in a remote wooded area, officials say. It was reported stolen from a quadriplegic West Columbia man.

Lexington County investigators were attempting to determine if that is the same van seen prowling North.

As far as a description of the thieves themselves, law enforcement is keeping their cards close to their chests. However, since the burglaries began noticeably increasing about two months ago, the victims haven't been bashful about sharing information amongst themselves. In that impromptu information network, the mention of two white men k.jpg popping up.

"I still think they're just riding around the neighborhoods, looking," Mac Livingston said.

Investigators have concluded these are not random burglaries committed by a local drug addict.

"I think the picture may get bigger," Fallaw said. "I anticipate that when we finally do make an arrest, this will be bigger than it may seem" now.

If anyone has any information on the burglaries or has seen anything suspicious, they are asked to contact the Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office at 803-534-3550, the North PD at 803-247-5801 or Crimestoppers at 1-888-559-TIPS.

T&D Staff Writer Richard Walker can be reached by e-mail at rwalker@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5516. Discuss this and other stories on-line at TheTandD.com.

You must be logged in to comment.