SC man charged with Hilton Head car break-in, possibly more charges to come

A 52-year-old man from Furman was arrested on Hilton Head Island on Wednesday after allegedly stealing cash from an unlocked car.

James Leroy Smith faces a felony charge of breaking and entering into a motor vehicle, according to online Beaufort County Detention Center records. He remained incarcerated Wednesday night awaiting a bond hearing.

Smith was allegedly caught on cameras entering the unlocked vehicle parked in a Sand Dollar Road driveway near the Folly Field Road parking lot while the victim was on the beach around 9:30 a.m., according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office news release. When he returned to his car, the victim reported seeing a man standing around near the driveway and found $33 missing from inside his vehicle.

Town of Hilton Head Island cameras in the area allegedly showed a man matching Smith’s description trying the door handles of several vehicles in the beach parking lot, according to the release. Smith had left the area by the time deputies arrived, but he was spotted walking through the Northridge Plaza parking lot about an hour later.

Smith admitted to stealing the money, and the victim recognized him as the same man who was loitering near his car, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The man had $34 in his pockets upon his arrest.

Smith does not face charges for the attempted break-ins at this time because the Sheriff’s Office has not yet identified the owners of those vehicles, according to the release.

The Sheriff’s Office reminds residents and visitors to lock their vehicles and remove or hide items of value.

This story was originally published September 13, 2017 at 8:03 PM with the headline "SC man charged with Hilton Head car break-in, possibly more charges to come."