A property owner near Murrah Road in North Augusta (Edgefield County) returned to his land on Wednesday, Dec. 23, to find the land had been cleared without his permission. According to an Edgefield County Sheriff’s Office report on the incident, a neighbor stated that two weeks prior, she saw a white male in a white work truck with a bobcat-type piece of equipment come and clear the property. She further stated that the suspect said something about a drain pipe. However, the property owner stated that he gave no one permission to clear the land and did not know he might have done so. The property was cleared of all trees and brush, and the property owner estimated the damage to his property to be $20,000.

This incident is being investigated by the ECSO.