Two Arrested for Alleged Theft

A man and woman from West Columbia were in the Lexington county jail Friday after being arrested and charged for allegedly stealing metal from a local home.

Lexington County Sheriff James Metts said on Friday that deputies arrested Michelle Ann Albrecht, 45, of 601 Holland Circle, West Columbia, and Roy Chris Cooper, Jr., 30, of 3167 Greenwood Drive, Lot 2, West Columbia, each on a charge of second-degree burglary. 

Albrecht and Cooper each were being held at the Lexington County Detention Center on a $15,000 bond.

Arrest warrants allege that at about 11:39 a.m. on Thursday Albrecht and Cooper illegally entered an unoccupied residence on Greenwood Drive near West Columbia, Metts said. 

Albrecht and Cooper allegedly removed numerous metal objects from the home, including metal legs that were removed from tables and metal pieces that were removed from furniture inside the residence, Metts said.

The property owner, who lives in Gaston, drove by the Greenwood Drive home in order to check on the home and found Albrecht and Cooper had allegedly entered the home illegally, Metts said. The property owner detained Albrecht and Cooper and reported the burglary to the Sheriff’s Department, Metts said.

Deputies reported they found found metal objects that were reported stolen from the home in a carport at the Greenwood Drive residence, as well as in the trunk of Albrecht’s 1993 white Buick Skylark sedan, which was parked in front of the Greenwood Drive residence, Metts said.

Under South Carolina law, Albrecht and Cooper each face a maximum punishment of 15 years in prison if convicted on the charge of second-degree burglary, Metts said.

Metts asked anyone with information about additional criminal activity involving Albrecht or Cooper to call the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department at (803) 785-8230 or CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.