Officer: 3 GSU students arrested in S.C.

Beaufort County Sheriffs deputy: Students were involved in multiple crimes on Hilton Head Island

Beaufort County Sheriff’s deputies arrested three Georgia Southern University students in South Carolina Tuesday they said were involved in a number of crimes on Hilton Head Island. Cpl. Robin McIntosh, public information officer for the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Department, said Jacob Tyler McCord, 18, Hoschton; Casey Louis May, 19, Powder Springs; and Joshua David Young, 19, Cumming, were each arrested on multiple charges for their involvement in two burglaries and two break-ins in the North Forest Beach Drive area. McIntosh did not have specific street addresses in their hometowns or Statesboro addresses for the suspects. She did say each attended Georgia Southern University.

Details of the Arrest

A deputy on patrol around 3 a.m. Tuesday “spotted a suspicious vehicle and investigated, noting the Honda Civic with a Georgia license plate was still warm to the touch, and fresh shoe wear impressions leading away from the vehicle.” The deputy then heard a car alarm sounding. Upon investigation they saw an assortment of football memorabilia, a blanket, two DVD players, and a set of speakers piled underneath a couple mailboxes. Shoe prints found near the piles of items were similar to those found near the Honda, McIntosh said. Deputies continued to search the area and discovered a nearby home showed obvious signs of forced entry. Then they met with two victims in the area who reported vehicle break-ins. Deputies spotted two men fleeing the area but were unable to apprehend them, McIntosh said. However, about an hour later, sheriff’s officials were notified by security in Shipyard Plantation near Port O’Call about three suspicious men, she said. Further investigation revealed McCord was the owner of the Honda Civic that the deputy noted as suspicious, and all three suspects were detained. During the interviews that followed, investigators learned McCord, May, and Young had contrived a plan to drive to Hilton Head with the sole purpose of breaking into homes and vehicles in the area,” McIntosh said.

Charges and Detention

All three are each charged two counts of first-degree burglary, two counts of breaking into a motor vehicle, and one count of criminal conspiracy. All three remain in the Beaufort County Detention Center awaiting bond hearings.

Possible Connections to Other Crimes

It is a puzzle as to why the three chose to drive to Hilton Head Island to commit the crimes, she said. “The three suspects arrested do not have any established ties to this area, and there is no indication that they are in any way connected to any of the previously reported burglaries or vehicle break-ins,” McIntosh said. Local authorities are investigating to see whether the three suspects may be connected to any of several entering auto incidents and burglaries in the Statesboro area, said Statesboro Police Capt. Scott Brunson.