Beaufort High student charged with armed robbery, arrested at Lady’s Island Walmart
An 18-year-old Beaufort High School student robbed a man at gunpoint Thursday evening and was later found and arrested at Walmart on Lady’s Island, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Karon Thomas, of Lady’s Island, was charged Thursday with armed robbery and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, jail records show. School district spokesperson Candace Bruder confirmed Thomas is a student at Beaufort High School.
The sheriff’s office received a report of armed robbery around 6 p.m. Thursday from Thomas Atkins Road, where a man alleged Thomas had stolen his backpack and other items while holding him at gunpoint outside a residence. Thomas and the victim knew each other, the man told police.
Deputies began searching for Thomas, also deploying a K-9 unit to track his location, according to sheriff’s office spokesperson Maj. Angela Viens. But investigators quickly received a tip from a resident, who told police the suspect was inside Walmart, less than half a mile from the scene of the attempted robbery.
Thomas was found and arrested inside the store, where police claimed his handgun and stolen items, Viens said.
Bruder would not say whether Thomas will be allowed back in school if he posts bail, citing district policy that prevents her from commenting on individual student disciplinary matters or active law enforcement investigations.
The school district’s administrative manual says Superintendent Frank Rodriguez is allowed to expel, suspend or transfer any student “for committing any crime, gross immorality [or] gross misbehavior.”
As of Friday afternoon, Thomas was being held on a $35,000 cash bond at the Beaufort County Detention Center.
