Police: Minors from Georgetown County broke into Lake City churches, businesses

LAKE CITY, S.C. (WMBF) - Three Grand Strand juveniles are facing charges in connection to burglaries and vandalism in the Pee Dee.

The Lake City Police Department said Friday that three minors from Georgetown County were identified as persons of interest in the investigations.

According to police reports obtained by WMBF News, officers were first called to 229 West Main Street after reports of a break-in on August 28th. An online search matches the location to Lake City United Methodist Church.

A person at the scene told police that the break-in happened sometime during the night or early morning. Officers found what appeared to be white powder covering the floors, which turned out to be from a fire extinguisher in another room. Broken glass was also found near tables in a dining room.

Window panes on a kitchen door were also broken out, with drawers and cabinets in that room also left open. A projection viewer that wasn’t there before was also found on the counter.

Police also said a second used fire extinguisher had been used in an upstairs area, covering an entire room in white powder. Broken trophies were also found on the floor.

Officers also found where one of the suspects appeared to come through a broken window in another room that had a chair in front of it.

A second break-in was then reported at 135 South Church Street, the address of Lake City First Baptist Church. Two more incidents were also reported, vandalism at 109 North Acline Street and a break-in with alcohol being stolen at 112 East Main Street.

Online searches of the two addresses come back as Bold & Sassy Children’s Boutique and Tammy’s, respectively.

Two of the suspects have since been detained and have been transported to the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice.

As of Friday, police said the third suspect was still at large.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lake City Police Department at 843-374-5411 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

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