Black Friday brings multiple theft and break-in claims to Beaufort County

Car windows were shattered and belongings taken. A wallet was stolenfrom a purse at Target. Those were among crimes reported in Beaufort County on Black Friday.

In the middle of her shift at Cracker Barrel in Okatie, Tina Marie was informed by a co-worker that her car had been broken into. Her window was smashed and her purse taken. She said the crime took place close to lunch, when business was busy.

“When they first told me about it, I thought maybe it wasn’t my car, but once I saw it, I just couldn’t believe that something like this had happened to me,” said Marie. Restaurant staffers had just been discussing the break-in of a co-worker’s car the night before, she said. “What’s the chance of it happening twice?”

Marie said she wasn’t angry about the crime because the circumstances were out of her control.

The break-in has put a great deal of stress on her, though. She has filed a claim with her insurance company, but said she can’t afford to replace the broken window right away. It’s also stressful to know that someone could have some of her personal information.

The Hardeeville Police Department posted pictures of the suspect who allegedly broke into Marie’s car and took a purse, describing his vehicle as “a Ford, possibly F-250.”

They asked that people with information that could lead to the suspect’s arrest contact them through their Facebook page or by calling them. The number for the Hardeeville Police Department is (843) 784-2233.

A similar break-in occurred outside Golden Corral, according to a Facebook post by Kaylea Winebrenner, who said she returned to her car to find a window smashed and two purses taken. The incident happened between 3 and 4 p.m., and Winebrenner is asking anyone with information that could lead to the recovery of the purses to contact her.

A police report on Winebrenner’s claim was not available.

Brooke Berthelsen had her wallet taken from her purse while loading her car after a Black Friday trip to Target, according to her post on Facebook. A corresponding police report could not be located.

Much like Marie’s post, Berthelsen ends hers with a similar call for caution.

People who steal wallets can act quickly, and don’t restrict their efforts to notably busy shopping days. Heather Nix was out to lunch with a friend at Panera Bread in Bluffton on Nov. 15 when she says her wallet was taken from a purse she’d left dangling from the back of a chair.

She immediately went about canceling all her credit cards, but during that time, the thieves managed to spend $3,000, she said.

“This has raised my awareness a great deal, and I don’t want others to have to deal with it,” said Nix. “If we’re all on guard and we’re all aware of our surroundings, then it’ll give criminals less of an opportunity to take advantage of the good people out there.”

A police report on Nix’s claims was not available.

This story was originally published November 25, 2017 at 3:58 PM with the headline "Black Friday brings multiple theft and break-in claims to Beaufort County."