Bluffton man faces 11 charges after police say he pulled off several Beaufort Co. heists
This story was originally published on Sept. 9, 2021.
A Bluffton man was charged Tuesday in a series of countywide burglaries, which included stealing items from area storage facilities, police said.
Corey Auger, 32, of Bluffton, was charged with eight counts of receiving stolen goods, one count of meth distribution, one count of evading arrest and one count of possession of burglary tools, according to the Beaufort County Detention Center jail log.
Police say Auger’s burglaries date back to late June. He is accused of stealing a variety of items since then, from scooters and Jet Skis to a golf cart and dishware.
Police described the following incidents connected to Auger’s charges.
After receiving a tip on June 29, police found two motorcycles and other stolen goods inside a U-Haul parked on Squire Pope Road, according to an alert from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. The motorcycles were being kept at a storage facility on Hilton Head that had its locks cut off, police said in the alert.
The owner of the storage facility didn’t know the motorcycles were missing. One other unit also had its locks cut. Police suspected Auger after conducting interviews, according to the alert.
In August, a scooter was reported stolen on St. Helena Island. While speaking to an “associate” of Auger’s in Burton, police said they saw a scooter in the yard and later confirmed it was the one stolen on St. Helena, according to an alert.
After getting a search warrant, police found other items on the property that had been reported stolen, including a “high-end” dishware set they believed belonged to a storage unit on Hilton Head.
On Aug. 30 on Broad Creek, a man saw someone riding a Jet Ski towing two other Jet Skis behind him and got in his boat to investigate, the alert said. The boater followed the man to Daufuskie Island where he “cut the tow line” of the Jet Skis trailing behind him and sped away.
One of the Jet Skis had been reported stolen from Indigo Run on July 24, police said in the alert, and the other was believed to have been taken from Brams Point. After reviewing surveillance video, police identified Auger as the alleged thief.
On Sept. 3, police say Auger broke into another storage facility on Hilton Head, where he took a revolver. Two days later, Palmetto Dunes employees said they found an abandoned utility vehicle on the golf course. Police say the utility vehicle, along with a trailer, were reported stolen by Port Royal golf maintenance employees. An Atlas Transit tricycle was also reported stolen on Sept. 5.
The next day, a Kubota utility vehicle was reported stolen, and police were able to track it, according to the alert. When deputies tried to arrest Auger, police said, he was able to get away via a hole in a chain link fence, leaving behind “burglary tools” and methamphetamine.
Auger was arrested on Sept. 7 after two Shelter Cove employees recognized the Atlas Transit tricycle police say he stole from a parking lot on Yacht Cove Drive. Police say the employees struggled with Auger until deputies arrived.
Some of the stolen items
- 2 motorcycles
- 3 Jet Skis
- Scooter
- Bobcat Utility Vehicle
- Revolver
- Kubota utility vehicle and trailer
- Portable cement mixer
- Various tools
- “High-end” dishware
- Utility golf cart
- Tires
- Irrigation supplies
- Cabinetry
- Atlas Transit Tricycle
Auger will face additional burglary charges once warrants are obtained, police said in the alert.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call Sgt. Adam Paul at 843-255-3317.
This story was originally published September 9, 2021 at 7:51 PM.
