SC man robs vape store with note and gun, confesses to other burglaries, police say
A man confesses to several burglaries, including stealing equipment from the city of Loris, after robbing a vape store using a handwritten note that said he had a gun, a police report said.
Darrell Kentrell Alford, 43, of Loris, was charged with armed robbery with a deadly weapon, kidnapping, four counts of second-degree burglary and shoplifting.
Loris Police responded about 7:30 p.m. Dec. 15, 2024, for a robbery in progress at 701 Tobacco and Vape, 4420 Broad St. When officers arrived, a store clerk said that a man walked into the store and then to the counter where he slid a handwritten note to her, a police report said.
The report did not say what the note said, but the clerk told police she read the note and then complied with it, walking to the cash register with her hands in the air. She removed the money from the cash register and then put it in a black store bag, the report said.
About $540 was stolen, the report said. After giving the man the money, he left the store, the report said.
Horry County Police assisted in looking for the man, who could be seen on store video footage placing his hands on the glass counter after he gave the clerk the note, the report said.
The man was later located at a Loris motel, where he confessed to officers being responsible for several burglaries over the last few weeks in the city, the report said.
The burglaries included Noris Freight, 4615 Broad St., on Nov. 12, 2024, where Alford is accused of taking an 85-inch TV, and the City of Loris Public Works on Nov. 22, 2024, where Alford allegedly took several pieces of equipment worth nearly $2,000.
Alford remains in the J. Reuben Long Detention Center without bond.
