Report: Beaufort woman suspects hitchhiker she let stay at her home may be a thief

A Beaufort woman who picked up a male hitchhiker in West Virginia and then let him live at her home suspects he may be behind the mysterious disappearance of various items, according to a report released Saturday by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

The woman told deputies Friday that she and the man — who had been staying at the home since October — had argued a few days prior and she asked him to leave. He left, but was spotted by the woman Friday sitting on the front porch of the home, the report said.

She locked up the house and left for a trip to Savannah with the man still sitting on the porch, according to the the report.

When she returned home, her television was missing, the report said.

In addition to the television, the woman told deputies the hitchhiker — who she believed “is on drugs” — had likely stolen a few other miscellaneous items over the past serval months.

Deputies collected evidence from the home and advised the victim of the process to get the man evicted from her home, the report said.

This story was originally published December 23, 2017 at 5:11 PM with the headline "Report: Beaufort woman suspects hitchhiker she let stay at her home may be a thief."