The Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office investigated a number of thefts, burglaries, firearms-related incidents and other cases during the week of September 13 through September 19.
One of the most serious reports came September 13 along Interstate 20 eastbound in the Camden area. A driver told deputies that he encountered a group of motorcycle riders near the 104-mile marker. According to the report, one rider struck a passenger-side window of his vehicle with a hammer, while another allegedly pointed a firearm and shot out the front driver’s-side tire. A third rider allegedly fired into the vehicle, with a bullet striking the passenger-side rear door. The driver was not injured, and the case was listed as under investigation.
Also on September 13, deputies opened an attempted murder investigation following a shooting in the Cassatt area. Deputies responding to Highway 1 North found a man suffering from an injury to the left side of his face. The victim initially told deputies he had shot himself, but later said someone shot him in a wooded area behind a Dollar General. He was transported to a Richland County hospital, and investigators responded to process the scene.
On September 14, deputies arrested a driver following a low-speed pursuit on John G. Richards Road. According to the report, a deputy observed a vehicle swerving into oncoming traffic and attempted a traffic stop. The vehicle continued until deputies performed a box-in maneuver near White Oak Road. The driver was charged with first-offense failure to stop for blue lights and first-offense DUI.
Deputies also investigated multiple property crimes. At a vacant residence on River Road near Camden, investigators were told someone had apparently been staying inside the home and had entered a shed. A generator valued at approximately $500 and an electric compressor valued at about $1,000 were reported stolen.
Another burglary investigation involved a shop on Black River Road. The property owner reported batteries, a weed trimmer and a Stihl chainsaw missing after an alarm at the property’s front gate was triggered during the overnight hours.
In Bethune, two people were arrested and charged with first-offense possession of methamphetamine following a traffic stop on Main Street. The Sheriff’s Office report says investigators recovered approximately half a gram of suspected methamphetamine attributed to each person, with field testing returning positive results.
The Sheriff’s Office also received several reports involving missing or stolen firearms. A firearm reported missing from a Cassatt-area shed was later recovered, while another firearm was reported missing from an unlocked vehicle on Ashley Creek Drive in the Elgin area. In Bethune, a man reported that eight firearms appeared to be missing from a gun safe he had been unable to open for approximately two years. That case was forwarded for further investigation.
On September 15, deputies responded to the West Wateree Sports Complex on Whitehead Road after two people reported being pulled from a vehicle and assaulted by a group. Both victims were taken to MUSC Health Camden for treatment, and the case was forwarded to investigators.
That same day, deputies arrested a man after the front window of a Dollar General on Wateree Dam Road was shattered. According to the report, deputies had also received complaints about a man throwing rocks at passing vehicles nearby. The Sheriff’s Office says the man later admitted throwing rocks and throwing a piece of metal through the store’s window. He was charged with malicious injury to real property.
On September 16, deputies investigated a report of a gunshot near a Kershaw County Public Works employee operating heavy equipment on Little Lynches Road near Bethune. The employee was not injured and the equipment was not damaged. Deputies recovered a spent .45-caliber shell casing from the shoulder of the roadway, and the case was forwarded to investigators.
A financial fraud case reported during the week involved a Lugoff-area resident who told deputies that $5,000 had been taken from his bank account after he received messages and a phone call from someone claiming to represent his financial institution. The case was forwarded for investigation.
Deputies also investigated a reported extortion attempt involving social media. A Lugoff-area resident told deputies that someone threatened to distribute an explicit photograph unless $500 was paid. The victim did not send the money, and the case was listed as under investigation.
On September 17, deputies responded to the Sam Street and Roy Truesdale Road area of Lugoff after a caller reported hearing four to seven gunshots. The caller reported seeing a passenger in a small silver vehicle firing the shots. Deputies searched the area but did not locate shell casings or other physical evidence, and the incident remained unresolved.
Finally, on September 18, a John Deere riding lawn mower valued at approximately $2,500 was reported stolen from property on Catawba Timber Road in the Camden area. The mower was entered into the national stolen-property database.
