Horry County police arrest two men in connection to a string of area armed robberies

Horry County police, in collaboration with the S.C. Highway Patrol, arrested two men in connection with a string of armed robberies around the Grand Strand.

Michael W. Givens, 31, of Conway, is charged with four counts of armed robbery, four counts of assault and battery in the first degree and one count of possession of a weapon during a violent crime.

Timothy C. Turbeville, 47, of North Myrtle Beach, is charged with four counts of armed robbery and four counts of assault and battery in the first degree.

The first incident occurred about 4:30 a.m. Thursday. Officers responded to an armed robbery at the Scotchman Convenience Store, located at 104 Seaborn Drive, in Myrtle Beach. The 27-year-old employee told police she was hit on the head with a metal pipe by a robber demanding money. The suspect made off with an undetermined amount of cash, according to the police report.

On Friday, officers responded to New Kobe Restaurant, at 117 Rivertown Blvd in Conway, around 5:08 p.m. in reference to an armed robbery. Officers were told a white male, armed with a knife, entered the business and stole the register, according to Lt. Selena Small.

The witness told police the suspects fled in a white Ford Ranger, according to the report.

On Saturday at about 3 a.m., officers responded to an armed robbery at the Days Inn Hotel at 3650 Waccamaw Blvd., in Myrtle Beach. The suspect “lured the desk clerk to the back door and hit him in the head with a metal crowbar,” according to Lt. Raul Denis with Horry County police. The clerk managed to escape the robber by running away and the robber took money from the cash register, the report said.

Later Saturday morning, at about 8:40 a.m., police responded to an armed robbery at the Kangaroo Convenience Store, 1390 U.S. 501 East, in Conway. The employee told police she realized the suspects were attempting a robbery as she exited the bathroom, and she was able to retreat into a storage room to call 911. The other clerk on duty was hit on the head with a wooden broom handle by the suspect, and the suspects left with a box of pennies, the report said.

The victim was taken to the hospital and treated for her injuries, the report said.

“Fortunately, a witness saw the robber as he left the store and got into a white Ford Ranger, similar to the one used in the New Kobe Restaurant robbery,” Denis said.

Later on Saturday, at about 3:15 p.m., after hearing the alerts for the white Ford Ranger, an S.C. Highway Patrol trooper spotted the vehicle and stopped it on Waccamaw Boulevard. Horry County officers took custody of the truck and its occupants, and after investigating arrested Turbeville and Givens, Denis said.

Both men are being held at J. Reuben Long Detention Center awaiting bond.

This story was originally published December 28, 2015 at 12:14 PM with the headline "Horry County police arrest two men in connection to a string of area armed robberies."