Man used trash can to steal food Beaufort Co. schools were serving free during COVID, police say

A 27-year-old Beaufort man was caught on video smuggling about $3,000 worth of food out of Robert Smalls International Academy last week, Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Bob Bromage said Wednesday.

The food is part of a program that daily feeds between 7,500 to 8,000 students in the district for free during the coronavirus pandemic, district spokesman Jim Foster said.

Natwaun Kwame Lawrence was charged with felony grand larceny and unlawful carrying of a pistol. He remained in the Beaufort County Detention Center Wednesday.

A Sheriff’s Office report says Lawrence was employed by a janitorial company contracted by the district. The Sheriff’s Office was first alerted about the theft by a Facebook post Lawrence made attempting to sell the food, the report said.

Bromage said Lawrence used a cart and a trash can to remove the food from the cafeteria.

He was arrested on a warrant for the incident Monday, Bromage said. He said a handgun was found on the floorboard of the suspect’s vehicle during the arrest.

Foster said the district received a portion of the food through a federally funded USDA Foods Commodity program. The rest of the food was purchased by the district.

The district will seek restitution from anyone who steals from it, if the judicial system determines they are guilty, Foster said.

Anyone convicted of grand larceny could be fined or spend up to five years in prison, S.C. code says.

This story was originally published May 13, 2020 at 6:57 PM.