SC man gets 13 years for using plane as getaway vehicle in Rock Hill airport thefts
A South Carolina man called a “flight risk” for using a plane as a getaway vehicle after thefts at the Rock Hill/York County airport has been sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Judge Dan Hall sentenced Nathaniel John Jenkins, 37, of Greenville after a three day trial in York County. The jury convicted Jenkins of 13 charges, including burglary, larceny, illegally entering a plane and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Jenkins landed a small plane at the airport at night in November and December 2023, then stole around $40,000 in airplane electronics, equipment and fuel before flying off, said prosecutors Heather Burdette and Chris Epting.
The York County airport handles small aircraft and added more security measures after the crimes, Burdette and Epting said.
The stolen items were never recovered.
“He shattered the sense of security at the airport where before they always felt safe,” Burdette said after the trial.
Jenkins has previous property crimes convictions and faces theft charges in other places, prosecutors said.
Jenkins’ lawyer, Fred Davis of the York County Public Defender Office, said his client will appeal the conviction.
“We respect the jury’s decision but disagree with it,” Davis said.
Charges against a juvenile co-defendant in the case remain pending, prosecutors said.
After Rock Hill police arrested Jenkins in January, a different judge refused to lower a $420,000 bail amount when the charges were still allegations. The judge ruled Jenkins was “literally a flight risk” because of the accusations of using a plane to land and steal before taking to the skies again to make his getaway.
Jenkins gets credit for 317 days he has been in jail since he was arrested.
