Published Thursday, April 03, 2008 2:19 PM
Updated Thursday, April 03, 2008 2:20 PM

 

Crime Beat 04/04/08

Suspect in 2005 St. George arson arrested

Dorchester County sheriff's deputies last week arrested a suspect in a 2005 fire that caused extensive damage — an estimated $100,000 worth— to several downtown St. George businesses and seriously injured a firefighter.

John L. Johnson, 30, of Harleyville, was arrested March 27 and charged with first degree arson, a felony in South Carolina, for his alleged role in the Sept. 11, 2005 fire that originated in Cash Drug Store at 208 N. Parler Ave. before spreading to two adjoining businesses, said sheriff's 1st Sgt. Michael Miller.

Sheriff's investigators took the lead in the investigation, which also involved a follow-up investigation by agents from the State Law Enforcement Division and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Putting out the fire took a multi-jurisdictional response, Miller said. One firefighter who worked to control the blaze was seriously injured and and required transport to the hospital, Miller said.

During a bond hearing March 27, Magistrate Penny Merriman set Johnson's bond at $150,000, according to the magistrate's office.

If Johnson is convicted, he could face 10 to 30 years imprisonment.

T-shirt proves prophetic in drug arrest

A 24-year-old Walterboro man was reportedly wearing a T-shirt with a large marijuana leaf printed on the back of it when he was arrested Monday night for simple possession of marijuana, a report shows.

Summerville police originally pulled the man over for an inoperable headlight on the SUV was driving. Then, according to the report, the graphic on his T-shirt became visible to the officer as he went to retrieve his vehicle's paperwork from the glovebox.

The officer asked the man to exit the vehicle and when he asked him how long it had been since he smoked marijuana, the man replied, "earlier today," the report shows.

After searching the man and his car, the officer reportedly explained to him that if he had any marijuana in the vehicle, now would be the time to let the officer know.

The man said he had a "little bit" of marijuana in the pocket of pants which were located on the passenger seat of his vehicle, according to the report.

The officer ultimately retrieved a small clear plastic bag of a green plant-like material believed to be marijuana, the report shows.

While booking the man, police learned the license plate on the vehicle he was driving did not belong to the vehicle, the report states, so he was also charged with improper use of a vehicle tag.

Kitchen raided for cabinet doors

A woman was welcomed at her newly-purchased Country Club Estates home March 28 by the discovery that approximately 30 doors had been stolen off the kitchen cabinets, a report shows.

In addition to the doors — which were ivory in color, without handles, and together were worth an estimated $10,000 — the thief or thieves made away with a $2,000 light still in its unopened box, according to the report.

The woman told Summerville police she bought the house March 27 and that the previous homeowner had a lien taken out against him through a building and cabinet company for failure to make payment on the cabinets.

She also told police she believes the previous homeowner may have knowledge of the incident because he owed money to the builders and because the residence was placed into foreclosure by a mortgage company, according to the report.

Theft has trappings of neighborly dispute

The animal trap a Summerville man put on his porch to catch stray cats was stolen last week. The alleged culprit? His neighbor.

According to a Summerville police report, the man said he put the trap in place to catch felines that were spraying his front door with urine. He said he set up the trap in order to hold the cats until animal control officers could retrieve them.

The neighbor told police via telephone that she stole the trap from the man because her cat was trapped in the cage and she couldn't open it.

She told police she thought it was unfair for the man to entice her cats to "his waiting booby trap," the report shows.

In response, the officer told her it was her responsibility as a pet owner to know the whereabouts of her cats and she should be more vigilant in keeping them in her residence, according to the report.

The man said his neighbor had returned the trap to him and he didn't wish to press charges.

Contact David Berman at 873-9424 ext. 214 or dberman@journalscene.com