Despite armed robbery, victim says Spanish Moss Trail isn't dangerous
On Wednesday morning, Laurance Davis crouched on his hands and knees, spreading fresh, brick-red mulch around a young oak tree along the Spanish Moss Trail near Broom Lane.
He felt someone shove his shoulders and thought it might be a friend on the trail.
But a man holding a pistol demanded the 86-year-old man's wallet and reached in Davis' back pocket to grab it himself, Davis said Thursday.
The suspect was still at large Thursday, Beaufort Police said.
On Thursday afternoon, Davis was completing a list for police of his wallet's contents, which included $75 in cash.
The tree Davis was tending was planted in memory of his grandson, Brian Davis Bundy, who died last year. Bundy was an avid bicyclist, and his name and a picture of a bicycle are etched in a stone resting in the mulch under the tree.
The family's business, Bundy Appraisal and Management, has adopted the portion of the trail from Brotherhood Road to Broome Lane. Davis had selected the area in part because his parents had once lived off of Broome Lane on Battery Creek.
Those who adopt portions of the trail are asked to keep an eye on the area for possible maintenance issues and are allowed to beautify the stretch, as Davis has done by planting flowers and bushes and maintaining the trees at each end.
"He was just doing his good deed," said Kathy Bundy, Davis' daughter.
Davis doesn't want the robbery to scare people from the trail or to paint the area as dangerous. He said similar incidents could happen anywhere.
"I will go back, and I will volunteer and work on the weeds and things," said Davis, who lives on Lady's Island. "It's a beautiful asset to Beaufort. It's just a shame it did occur."
POLICING THE TRAIL
The trail starts in Port Royal, passes through the city of Beaufort and includes a stretch in Beaufort County -- three different jurisdictions. Eventually the 12-foot wide concrete path will span 13.6 miles of an old railbed from Port Royal to the Whale Branch area.
Port Royal Police and a Beaufort County Sheriff's Office K-9 unit helped search for the robbery suspect Wednesday, described as a black male in his mid-30s, with close-shaved hair, about 5-feet-6-inches tall and wearing dark jeans and a white polo shirt with black and blue stripes. He was last seen on a dark mountain bike.
Davis said the man rode off toward Port Royal.
After the robbery, Davis warned two women walking the same direction of what had happened.
The women had seen the man on the bike and talked to police, Davis said.
Beaufort Police Department officers regularly patrol the trail areas -- either on foot or by driving through and conducting property checks, Cpl. Hope Able said Thursday.
No sheriff's deputies are currently assigned the trail as their primary duty, Beaufort County Sheriff's Office Capt. Bob Bromage said. The county's portion of the trail currently only involves a single segment in Burton.
"As the need grows, we evaluate," he said.
To help keep themselves safe, he advised trail users to use the buddy system, bring a phone and avoid the trail after dark.
THINKING ABOUT SAFETY
Wednesday's incident followed upbeat reports that ground had broken on the next segment of the trail starting at Depot Road, creating a 7-mile continuous stretch, and that another $2 million had been donated to fund future segments.
The city is talking about plans to allow certain businesses along the trail and amenities like water fountains and exercise equipment have popped up.
The day after the robbery, at the Broome Lane trailhead where Davis was robbed, bicyclists passed at a leisurely pace, a woman walked two large dogs and a young family played together.
But the incident was at least in some minds.
As Scott Haupt filled his bicycle tires with air Thursday morning, he pondered for the first time whether to take a weapon along for his ride on the trail.
"I actually thought 'Should I be carrying something -- a knife, billy club, whatever?'" Haupt said, as he paused on his bike ride with wife, Marilyn. "I'm not, but it actually ran through my mind this morning, which I'm sad that has occurred."
Haupt, who lives near the trail and Technical College of the Lowcountry, said he doesn't plan to let the robbery affect his plans to use the trail. He and his wife moved here a year ago from Baltimore.
"We moved here for all the tranquility and downtown and the amenities, and this is certainly one of the amenities," Haupt said.
"We really enjoy it and don't really think about safety -- until this morning."
Follow reporter Stephen Fastenau at twitter.com/IPBG_Stephen.
Related content
- Armed robbery reported on Spanish Moss Trail, Aug. 26, 2015
- Spanish Moss trail gets $2 million toward three additions, Aug. 17, 2015
- New work begins on Spanish Moss Trail; will create 7-mile continuous stretch, Aug. 14, 2015
This story was originally published August 27, 2015 at 12:59 PM with the headline "Despite armed robbery, victim says Spanish Moss Trail isn't dangerous."