Police: One of Rock Hill’s ‘most wanted’ criminals caught

One of Rock Hill’s most wanted is in custody after he was arrested on Tuesday evening.

Anthony Bernard Holley, 45, was arrested and charged with cocaine possession and resisting arrest after an altercation with Rock Hill police on Winchester Drive around 5 p.m., according to a city police report. Holley also faces charges of grand larceny, assault and shoplifting dating back to September 2014.

Officers received a tip Tuesday that Holley was sitting in a Chrysler on the 1000 block of Winchester Drive. When police arrived to arrest Holley on multiple outstanding warrants, he reportedly attempted to flee and had to be chased down on foot. During the ensuing struggle with the arresting officer, Holley allegedly destroyed an $80 police microphone before he was restrained and handcuffed.

Inside Holley’s pants pocket, the officers reportedly found a small bag of cocaine, leading to additional charges.

Holley was previously wanted on a shoplifting charge dating from September, when two men stole $700 worth of cellphones from the Walmart on Dave Lyle Boulevard. In February, Holley was identified as one of a number of people who stole $2,600 worth of fragrance bottles, casually emptying a shelf’s worth of merchandise into their pockets before walking out of the store.

In addition to outstanding warrants in Rock Hill, Holley is also facing shoplifting and criminal conspiracy charges from the York County Sheriff’s Office. On Dec. 3, 2014, Holley and two accomplices were allegedly caught on video stealing a set of Bluetooth speakers from the Clover Walmart, according to the sheriff’s office.

Holley was also wanted on a bench warrant for failure to appear in court on a charge of giving false information to police, said Mark Bollinger, Rock Hill Police public information officer. Holley was convicted on that charge in absentia, he said.

A background check with the State Law Enforcement Division showed Holley has an extensive arrest record dating back to 1986, including charges for armed robbery, burglary and multiple assault and shoplifting charges.

A Tweet sent from the Rock Hill Police Department account after Holley’s arrest trumpeted the capture of “one of our most wanted.” A bond of $31,000 was set for the pending city charges on Wednesday.

This story was originally published April 8, 2015 at 11:01 AM with the headline "Police: One of Rock Hill’s ‘most wanted’ criminals caught."