Police roundup | Georgetown man charged with grave robbing

Police

GEORGETOWN

Man charged with grave robbing

A Georgetown man has been charged with grave robbing by the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office.

Jeremy Breion Greene, 23 of Floranada Lane, was charged with theft from Morning Glory Cemetery, off Penny Royal Road in Georgetown, according to a news release.

The investigation began after Wallace McKnight, of McKnight-Fraser Funeral Home, notified Georgetown County officers that there were vases stolen from several grave sites within the Morning Glory Cemetery.

He said sometime between June 8 and Monday at least six brass vases from the front row of the cemetery were missing.

After McKnight reported the vases stolen, the Georgetown City Police Department was contacted by a local recycling center that someone had attempted to sell brass grave vases. A name and a truck description as well as a tag number were provided by the recycling center.

Sheriff's investigators were contacted by the Georgetown City Police Department that Greene was being detained at the Oak Tree Car Wash.

Greene said he had put the vases in the trash cans and the cans had been emptied.

The Sanitation Department was contacted and confirmed the trash cans at the car wash had been recently emptied and were on their way to the county landfill. Seventeen brass vases were recovered from the truck.

Sheriff's investigators determined that Greene entered Morning Glory Cemetery the night before and removed brass vases from several grave sites. He further described to officers how he hid them until the following morning when he took them to recycling centers in Georgetown and attempted to sell them.

Greene is being held at the Georgetown County Detention Center.

MYRTLE BEACH

Bail set for Florida fugitive in area

Bail was set at $100,000 for a woman living in Myrtle Beach who is wanted as a fugitive in Florida after someone turned in her lost wallet, according to the report.

Someone found the wallet at 1901 N. Oak St., and turned it into Myrtle Beach police. Officers ran the name of the person listed on the identification card through the National Crime Information Center and learned the woman was wanted by Florida officials.

Lolitha Ann Humphrey, also known as Lolitha Ann Claridy, was arrested at her home at 1300 Spivey Ave., police said. Officers noted Humphrey had changed her name back to her maiden name.

The Suwannee County, Fla., Sheriff's Department had listed Humphrey as wanted for grand larceny third, according to the report. Authorities planned to extradite Humphrey for prosecution.

Humphrey is being held at J. Reuben Long Detention Center.

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH

Suspect identified in drug store robberies

The North Myrtle Beach Public Safety Department has identified a Myrtle Beach man as being responsible for armed robbery of a CVS Pharmacy and a Walgreens in North Myrtle Beach.

Rodney Lee Adelstone II, who is incarcerated in the Brunswick County Jail, will be charged with the Oct. 15, 2010, armed robbery of a CVS Pharmacy in North Myrtle Beach. He also will be charged with the May 1, 2011, armed robbery of a Walgreens in North Myrtle Beach, according to a press release from city spokesman Pat Dowling.

The Walgreens robbery took place on a Sunday morning when Adelstone allegedly entered the store at 4300 U.S. 17 S. in North Myrtle Beach, and handed the pharmacist in the store's pharmacy section a note in which he demanded drugs and said he had a gun, Dowling said.

The robber left through the rear of the business with an undisclosed amount of medication, Dowling said.

Adelstone is being held in North Carolina on similar charges.

LITCHFIELD BEACH

Search for swimmers called off

The Coast Guard on Friday called off a search for four swimmers who were reportedly seen swimming in rough waters late Thursday in Georgetown County.

Lt. Commander Ryan Rhodes of the Coast Guard said Friday morning that a woman on the beach saw four people swimming in the water during rough surf around 9:30 p.m. in the southern end of Litchfield Beach.

The Coast Guard sent a boat from the Georgetown area and a helicopter from the Charleston area but were unable to locate anyone, Rhodes said.

The search was called off overnight at 11:15 p.m.

"No one was reported missing and we didn't have any reports of anyone screaming or hollering in the water," said Bob Beebe, spokesman for Midway Fire Rescue.

Local

GEORGETOWN

Council of governments names director

A Georgetown resident has been hired as the executive director of the Waccamaw Regional Council of Governments, which serves Horry, Georgetown and Williamsburg counties.

Sarah Penick Smith was first hired by the council in 1996 and has served as the community planning director for 15 years.

The council operates many programs in the area for economic development, planning, senior services and housing assistance.