Gaston Man Charged with Stealing from Vehicles

Deputies arrested a Gaston man Thursday after they say he stole a wallet, flashlight and money from two vehicles at homes near West Columbia.

Christian James Woods, 20, is charged with two counts of breaking into a vehicle. 

Deputies say Woods stole a Maglight flashlight and a wallet Thursday from an unlocked 1995 GMC Sierra pickup truck that was parked outside a home on Eargle Drive. 

Woods also entered an unlocked 2000 Nissan Sentra sedan that was parked outside a second home on Eargle Drive and stole bills and coins totaling $5.45 that were stored in a plastic prescription medicine bottle, deputies say. 

A homeowner at a third home on Eargle Drive saw Woods rummaging inside an
unlocked vehicle parked outside the homeowner’s residence and reported the incident to the sheriff’s department around 8:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the sheriff's department.

Deputies with the K-9 Unit and their K-9 police dog partners responded to the incident. A K-9 police dog named Forrest, who is a bloodhound, tracked Woods to another home on Eargle Drive, where deputies detained and later arrested him. 

Deputies found the flashlight and plastic medicine bottle with money on Woods. They recovered the wallet in a Dumpster near one of the homes on Eargle Drive. 

Woods is being held at the Lexington County Detention Center awaiting a bond hearing.