A Williamston man was among three subjects arrested this past weekend by the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office in connection with the theft of a camper from an Oconee business. Charles Leroy Pulliam, Jr., 56, of Thornwood Drive, Williamston, Sandy Dawn McKinney, 36, and 39 year old Willie William Ables, 39, both of Highway 14 in Simpsonville, were booked into the Oconee County Detention Center around 5:50pm, 8:02pm and 11:27pm respectively on Saturday.
According to the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office , a deputy from the Uniform Patrol Division was dispatched to Parkway Campers on South Highway 11 in reference to reports of someone busting open the gate and stealing a pull behind StarCraft camper. There were also reports of a separate vehicle, a green in color Honda that was also involved in the theft as well. Soon thereafter, dispatch received reports that a truck pulling the camper had broken down and was on the side of the road along a portion of Highway 11.
A deputy got out with the truck in question, a 1996 Ford Ranger, and found it unoccupied, but, the deputy was notified that a white male and a white female had exited the vehicle and ran into the woods nearby. Other deputies, including a K-9 unit, responded to the scene.
Later on, a white male, later identified as Ables, was discovered by deputies at a creek in the area sitting on a log with a pocket book near his right leg. After repeatedly reaching his hands into the pocket book and refusing officer commands, a deputy deployed his TASER and eventually after further commands from officers was ignored by Ables; a stun was delivered from the TASER device to Ables. Ables then complied soon thereafter and he was placed into custody.
As Ables was being walked out of the woods by a deputy, Ables decided to run to attempt to escape but a second deputy stepped in front of him, which allowed a deputy to regain control of Ables. Ables was later transported to the hospital and released.
The female, later identified as McKinney, was discovered by a deputy hiding in the creek and was placed under arrest.
The third subject arrested, Pulliam, was pulled over after officers initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle he was driving on Highway 11 at Creekwood Lane. Pulliam informed the officer that his license was suspended, which was confirmed by the deputy and evidence discovered in the vehicle, after the officer was given consent to search by Pulliam, tied him to Ables and McKinney. The Honda was later towed.
An investigator with the Criminal Investigations Division also responded to the scene to begin work on collecting evidence from the scene at the location on Poplar Springs Road.
The investigator was able to determine that the truck that was used to steal the trailer was stolen out of Greenville County. It was towed from the side of the road at the address on Poplar Springs Road. The tag on the truck, according to investigators, belonged to a Dodge but was on the Ford truck recovered.
The camper, valued at around $11,000, was also recovered and retrieved by the business.
In warrants obtained by deputies, Ables was charged Sunday with one count of Escape, one count of Resisting Arrest, three counts of Malicious Injury to Personal Property for taking a radio out of the Ford Ranger, damage the StarCraft Camper during the course of the theft and for damaging the gate to the business by ramming it with a vehicle. Ables was also charged with one count of Receiving Stolen Goods for possession of the license plate in question, one count of Grand Larceny for taking away the StarCraft Camper and one count of Possession of a Stolen Vehicle regarding the Ford Ranger pickup used in the incident.
McKinney was also charged in warrants issued Sunday with one count of Grand Larceny involving the StarCraft Camper and one count of Possession of a Stolen Vehicle regarding the Ford Ranger.
Pulliam, Jr. was issued a traffic ticket for Driving Under Suspension and a warrant obtained by deputies charges him with Accessory After the Fact of a Felony for using his vehicle as a blocking vehicle allowing Ables and McKinney to escape from Parkway Campers in the stolen vehicle with the stolen camper and for making arrangements later to pick up Ables and McKinney, according to the arrest warrant.
