S.C. Man Accused of Theft After Completing Roofing Work

Suspect faces burglary and grand larceny charges, deputies

Crime Image.png — The Williamsburg County, S.C., Sherriff’s Office says a 73-year-old man was arrested and charged with burglary and grand larceny after allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from an elderly man’s safe after completing work on the victim's roof.
— Image courtesy of Wikipedia

Williamsburg County, S.C., Sherriff’s Office officials announced on May 22 that a North Augusta, S.C. man faces burglary and grand larceny charges after allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from an elderly victim’s safe in Greeleyville, about 65 miles northwest of Charleston, after completing work on the victim's roof.

Last Friday, sheriff’s office deputies were dispatched to the man’s residence for larceny, as first reported by local NBC affiliate WCBD. An account describes that, while en route to the victim’s home, deputies learned the victim’s family members were following the suspect’s vehicle into the Kingstree, S.C. area.

After initiating a traffic stop, deputies learned the suspect, 73-year-old Patrick Gorman, and an unnamed co-defendant, went to the victim’s house offering to do roofing work.

“Upon completing the roofing work, Gorman’s co-defendant lured the elderly victim to the rear of the residence while Gorman entered the victim’s residence without consent and removed more than $10,000 from the residence,” Investigator Jalisa Brown with the Williamsburg County Sheriff’s Office told WCBD.

Gorman’s co-defendant was not located at the time of contact with the suspect, Brown told the local TV station. Gorman was arrested for “burglary 1st degree” and “grand larceny value $10,000 or more.” He was booked into the Williamsburg County Detention Center.

Deputies say additional charges are forthcoming and that the investigation is ongoing.

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KEYWORDS: crime South Carolina

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Bryan Gottlieb is the online editor at Engineering News-Record (ENR).

Gottlieb is a five-time Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism award winner with more than a decade of experience covering business, construction, and community issues. He has worked at Adweek, managed a community newsroom in Santa Monica, Calif., and reported on finance, law, and real estate for the San Diego Daily Transcript. He later served as editor-in-chief of the Detroit Metro Times and was managing editor at Roofing Contractor, where he helped shape national industry coverage.

Gottlieb covers breaking news, large-scale infrastructure projects, new products and business.