Myrtle Beach police arrest 2 for moving beach barricades amid coronavirus outbreak
Two adults were arrested for moving barricades at a Myrtle Beach beach access.
Myrtle Beach police arrested and charged Johnny Lee Craven, 24, and Jonathan Howard Oxendine, 34, under the law that covers looting, violating curfew and failing to disperse. Both men were booked at the Myrtle Beach jail on $153 bond.
On Monday, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster ordered to close beach accesses to help stop the spread of coronavirus in South Carolina.
Horry County and Myrtle Beach crews placed cones, barricades and signs at the access points to block entry. The beaches are open to those who have private access.
City officials have said that people who move the barricades could face citation or arrest.
Officers arrested Craven and Oxendine around 8:45 a.m. Wednesday after they moved barricades to access the beach, according to Myrtle Beach police. The duo was arrested near 16th Avenue South.
“Our focus has been to educate the public on the Governor’s order while using enforcement measures on those individuals that willfully disregarded the order. The Governor’s order directs that no person shall have access to the beach from a public access point,” Myrtle Beach police said in a statement.
“We are counting on our community to share in the responsibility of attempting to slow the spread of COVID-19 by following each of the Governor’s Emergency Orders.”
This story was originally published April 1, 2020 at 6:23 PM.
