Stolen saddles to boom truck: 5 charged in Chester County thefts valued at $100K
Five people have been arrested in a Chester County theft case where items ranging from saddles and ATVs to utility boom trucks were stolen, according to the sheriff’s office.
What sheriff’s officials describe as a crime spree went on in November and December in rural areas of eastern Chester County, said Max Dorsey, Chester County Sheriff.
James Walter “Bootsie” Love, Matthew Brandon Conner, Matthew Shane Gregory, and Jessica Ann Runge were taken into custody late Monday, according to sheriff’s and jail records. Michael Shane Hinson was arrested in December, jail records show.
Homes and other private property were targeted in Lando, Richburg and Edgemoor near the Catawba River, Dorsey said.
“This set of arrests for these crimes is important to the safety and security of the people of Chester County,” Dorsey said Tuesday.
Sheriff’s office detectives, narcotics officers, and patrol conducted surveillance of the areas, got search warrants and made the arrests, Dorsey said. The help of residents who assisted deputies was invaluable, and property stolen exceeded $100,000, Dorsey said.
Much of the property has been recovered and returned to the victims, Dorsey said.
Items stolen include a utility boom truck, saddles, several all-terrain vehicles, electronics, and other household and commercial items, Dorsey said.
All five are charged with criminal conspiracy, according to police and jail records. A conspiracy conviction in South Carolina carries up to five years in prison, state law shows.
Love, 35, faces charges of burglary, grand larceny, receiving stolen goods, and destroying DNA evidence, records show. Conner, 30, is charged with burglary and larceny.
Runge, 34, faces charges of larceny, deputies said. Gregory, 34 is charged with larceny and destroying DNA evidence, court records show.
Hinson, 45, is charged with unlawful carrying of a pistol, according to arrest records.
Burglary carries up to 30 years and grand larceny carries five years, state law shows.
All five suspects remain in the Chester County jail.
