Two Teens Arrested on Burglary Charges

Two teens remained in custody Tuesday night after they allegedly broke into a motor bus in West Columbia and stole electronics.

Lexington County Sheriff’s Department detectives on Sunday arrested a 17-year-old male and 16-year-old male with twice breaking into the bus, which detectives said was being used as a residence by the caretaker of The House of Praise church on Leaphart Road in West Columbia.

Detectives allege the two suspects stole a GPS device, television, and commuter from the bus, which was parked outside the church.

Lexington County Sheriff James R. Metts said detectives arrested Deion Kendell Crawford, 17, of 100 Longview Drive, West Columbia, and Jeremy Antonia Williams, 16, of 272 Cape Jasmine Way, Lexington, on one count each of first-degree and second-degree burglary.

Crawford was being held on Tuesday at the Lexington County Detention Center while awaiting a bond hearing, Metts said.

Williams was being held on Tuesday at a pre-trial detention facility off Broad River Road in Columbia that is operated by the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice, Metts said. The 16-year-old is being charged as an adult.

Arrest warrants allege that between 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 6 Crawford and Williams entered the unlocked motor bus and stole one Tom Tom GPS device from the bus. 

In addition, arrest warrants allege that between 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, Crawford and Williams broke into the motor bus again and stole one 46-inch Insignia flat-screen television and one Apple iMac desktop computer from the bus. 

On Sunday morning, witnesses allegedly saw Crawford and Williams run away from the bus carrying the flat-screen television and desktop computer, Metts said. K-9 Deputy Brian Hinz and his K-9 police dog, Bayka, tracked Crawford and Williams to Crawford’s home, where deputies arrested Crawford and Williams, Metts said. 

Metts added detectives recovered the flat-screen television, desktop computer and GPS device reported stolen. 

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