Thousands of Dollars Worth of Tools Stolen from Business

The Edgefield County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call to a business on Sweetwater Road, Friday, July 25, after the owner arrived to find the lock to an enclosed trailer had been cut off. According to the ECSO report, further investigation revealed that a hole large enough for a person to fit through had been cut in the back side of a fence surrounding the perimeter of the business. It was determined that several items were missing from the trailer; among those were various types of saws, a blower, and a laser. In all the stolen items were estimated to be worth over $4,000. This case has been turned over to the investigative unit of the ECSO.

 Edgefield County Man Defrauded of $3,400

An Edgefield County man became the victim of fraud after responding to an ad on craiglist.com. According to a report filed Friday, July 25, with the Edgefield County Sheriff’s Office, the man stated he responded to an ad for a Ducati motorcycle through the popular sales site by contacting the number provided. He was told by the person who answered that call that his daughter was selling the motorcycle and that he would send him an email by which to contact her. The victim then contacted the daughter who advised the victim she would send him instructions through eBay on how to pay for the bike. The man said he was instructed to purchase $2500 in Green Dot cards, which he did from CVS, and send the numbers on the card to the seller. The victim did as instructed sending an additional $900 via the cards, as well, for what he was told was motorcycle insurance. Unfortunately, the motorcycle was not delivered and the seller is no longer responding to emails. This case has been forwarded to the investigative unit of the ECSO.

Cyclist Attacked on Hwy 23 West Biking Trail

A cyclist riding the bike trail at the bridge on Hwy 23 West in Modoc was attacked Saturday night, July 26, by unknown assailants. According to law enforcement personnel who spoke with The Advertiser regarding this incident, the victim, an Augusta man, was riding the trail around 8:30-9:00 Saturday evening when he was knocked from his bike by a rope that had been strung across the trail. The victim said that after being thrown from his bike, three young white males all dressed in camouflage attacked him and tried to sexually assault him. The cyclist stated he was able to get away from the assailants but in so doing one fired a shot at him. He then returned fire from a hand gun he was carrying, but the attackers were able to flee the scene. There was no information provided as to injuries the man may have suffered, and McCormick County is investigating this matter.