Man wanted in multiple Hilton Head car break-ins charged on Thursday, police say
A Hardeeville man was arrested Thursday after being wanted on multiple charges from more than a dozen car break-ins on Hilton Head Island, according to police.
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office charged Marques Lopez Brown, 22, of Hardeeville with 14 counts of breaking and entering a motor vehicle, one count of grand larceny, one count of fleeing to evade arrest, and one count of providing false information to law enforcement.
Brown was arrested just before 5 a.m. after deputies responded to a car break-in in progress on Crab Line Court in the Chaplin neighborhood, according to a news release.
Deputies positioned themselves on Singleton Beach Road and arrested him after a short chase, it said.
Using security cameras, the Sheriff’s Office said, it identified Brown as one of two subjects pulling handles on unlocked cars in Palmetto Dunes, Folly Field, Singleton Beach and other Hilton Head neighborhoods throughout the summer and fall.
A 17-year-old male, who was charged Sept. 16 with nine counts of breaking and entering into motor vehicles, worked with Brown, said Maj. Bob Bromage.
Hilton Head saw several rashes of car break-ins, with 12 in one night in Hilton Head Plantation in late July. Three cars were broken into in Palmetto Hall in July and seven in Allenwood in August. Police said all were connected.
Last month, four guns were stolen from unlocked cars in break-ins near Coligny Beach and North Forest Beach.
Brown is still being questioned by the Sheriff’s Office and has not been booked into the Beaufort County Detention Center, the news release said.
Breaking and entering a motor vehicle and grand larceny are felonies under South Carolina law. Each conviction on breaking and entering could mean up to five years in prison or $1,000 in fines.
