Arrest Made in Johnny Hydrick Murder Case

The Edgefield County Sheriff’s Office arrested Billy Sellars, 31, of Aiken, SC, for the murder of Johnny Hydrick of Edgefield, Thursday, October 30, 2014, at his home. Sellars is charged with Burglary 1^st and murder. He has been denied bond and is being held in the Edgefield County Law Enforcement Detention Center.

Johnny Hydrick was found dead in his home on Windy Ridge Road in Trenton on Oct. 11. He had been beaten and died from blunt force trauma to the head.

The investigation into this murder is still continuing.

ECSO Responds to Man with a Gun on Big Oak Drive

The Edgefield County Sheriff’s Office received two separate calls of a man with a gun on Big Oak Drive in North Augusta (Edgefield County), Sunday, Nov. 2. The first call stated that the man was shooting a gun at two juveniles. The other said that a man was pointing a shotgun at two different juveniles. According to an ECSO report, the culprit in each incident was the same man, a 45 year old resident of Big Oak Drive.

The account of two of the juvenile victims states that they were sitting on the side of the road on Big Oak Drive talking when the suspect drove his black truck off the roadway in an attempt to hit them. The two stated that a short time later, the subject came walking toward them from his driveway, wearing a black coat and cowboy hat, and carrying a shotgun. The pair said the man started yelling obscenities at them, and they fled and hid from him. One of the two reported that he heard the man yell, “I’ll kill you when I catch you.”

In the other incident, the two victims related that as they were walking down Big Oak Drive a man approached them holding a black shotgun and asked, “What are y’all doing?” When the two replied that they were just walking, the man stated, “Y’all don’t belong here.” One of the juveniles stated that when he threatened to call 911, the man started screaming, “Do it!” and pointed the shotgun at them. As the man kept screaming and pointing the shotgun at them, one of the juveniles did call 911, and the suspect then walked behind his residence and yelled, “Showed up!”

After getting statements from all four juveniles involved, law enforcement then located the suspect at his residence standing beside his black 1991 Nissan pickup truck which matched the description of the one being driven that attempted to strike two of the juveniles. When questioned about the events, the man stated that he had been having problems with unknown juveniles taking items from his property and that he was going to protect it. He said the youths were yelling at him and he yelled back, but he denied having a gun with him at any point in the confrontations. When questioned, the suspect did admit that he owned two firearms; a 38 caliber pistol and a 12 gauge shot gun. When asked what kind of shotgun it was, the man stated he did not know its name brand but described it as all black. When asked if they could see the gun, the man told law enforcement that it was in his home and denied them access to it.

The suspect in this case was arrested for pointing and presenting a weapon and transported to the Edgefield County Detention Center without incident. The parents of the juveniles were called to the scene and apprised of the situation.

Local Scrap Metal Business Helps ECSO Recover Stolen Vehicle

The Edgefield County Sheriff’s Office responded to Brewer’s Scrap Metal in Trenton, Monday, Oct, 27, after they were notified by the establishment that a possible theft of a vehicle had occurred. The ECSO report on the matter details how a man came to Brewer’s from Aiken County after he was advised by an anonymous caller that a brown van located on property he owns on Springfield Church Road in Aiken, SC, was being towed away by a blue Chevrolet Avalanche. The man stated he hurried to Brewer’s in hopes of finding the van. When he arrived at the scrap metal business, he found the brown Chevrolet Astro van sitting on the weigh scale being pulled by the blue Chevrolet Avalanche. After relating the situation to Brewer’s, they called law enforcement. The man did state that he was not the owner of the van; it belonged to another man who used to live on the property site. The owner of the property had contacted the owner of the van and advised him to come to Brewer’s.

Inside the van was a driver identified as an 18 year old black male from Johnston. Inside the Avalanche was the driver, a 21 year old black male from Johnston, and two passengers, a 21 year old black male and a 17 year old black male, both of Johnston. The four told law enforcement that they had been informed by a man named Hector that if they would haul the van to Brewer’s, he would give them a few dollars. The four were unable to provide law enforcement with Hector’s last name or phone number. As the four were being taken from the vehicles, the backseat passenger of the Avalanche attempted to reach inside his left front pocket. When prevented from doing so and questioned as to what was in his pocket, the man responded that the did not know. The responding deputy then pulled from the pocket a metal cylinder with a lid on it. Upon opening the lid, a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana was found inside. The man admitted the cylinder was his marijuana grinder stating, “ Cause I smoke marijuana.” This subject was then placed under arrest for simple possession of marijuana.

The owner of the van, whose name was not Hector, did arrive on the scene with the title to the van. He stated that he did not give anyone permission to take or move the van. The four suspects were then arrested and charged with possession of stolen property less than $2,000.

The ECSO notified the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office of the theft of the van from their county. The Avalanche was towed from the scene, and the four suspects were transported to the Edgefield County Detention Center without incident. Besides their criminal charges, the four have also been placed on trespass notice from Brewer’s Scrap Metal.