Hilton Head man accused of pistol-whipping man, breaking into 2 cars is arrested

By Rachel Jones

Updated February 8, 2022 12:35 PM

A Hilton Head man was arrested Friday night after police accused him of pistol-whipping a man and breaking into two cars that evening.

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office charged Clayton Orum Jr., 18, on Saturday with two counts of breaking into a motor vehicle, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and attempted armed, or allegedly armed, robbery.

Orum is being held in the Beaufort County Detention Center on a $40,000 surety bond. He has not been assigned an attorney or a court date yet, according to the public index.

According to sheriff’s spokesman Bob Bromage, Orum pistol-whipped a man in the head around 7 p.m. Friday while attempting to rob him.

Police responded to the scene and the injured man was transported to Hilton Head Hospital by paramedics. He was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, Bromage said.

Orum returned to the scene around 9 p.m. after deputies had cleared it and broke into two vehicles in the driveway of a Eugene Drive residence, taking an iPhone, cash and earbuds, Bromage said.

Police saw him near Eugene Muddy Creek Road and said they found the stolen items on his person, at which time he was arrested.

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In situations where a public figure or someone in a position of public trust is arrested
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This story was originally published February 8, 2022 at 11:45 AM.

Rachel Jones

The Island Packet

843-631-6039

Rachel Jones covers education for the Island Packet and the Beaufort Gazette. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and has worked for the Daily Tar Heel and Charlotte Observer. She has won awards from the South Carolina Press Association, Associated College Press and North Carolina College Media Association for feature writing and education reporting.

When we publish mugshots

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