Beaufort smoke shop targeted for burglary twice in 5 days. 7 lbs. of THC ‘flower’ stolen
A Beaufort smoke shop was the target of one successful and one attempted burglary within five days, both involving large objects that were hurled at the business’ front window. The store is decreasing some of its late-night hours in response to the repeat incidents, which employees believe involve the same suspect.
Beaufort County deputies responded to an activated alarm just before midnight Jan. 28 at the One Stop Smoke & Vape Outlet, located at 246 Robert Smalls Parkway near the highway’s intersection with Old Jericho Road.
The glass front door of the business had been “shattered inward,” according to a sheriff’s office incident report. Inside, officers noted one of the display counters had been moved and its door was “ripped off.”
Surveillance footage from the store showed an unknown male walking toward the nearby Colonel Clean Car Wash and picking up a brick, which he used to smash the smoke shop’s front door and gain entry. The suspect pushed the counter aside and went “immediately for the Delta 8 and 9 products,” the report says.
Before fleeing the scene, the man reportedly grabbed jars containing about seven pounds total of synthetic marijuana “flower,” meaning the smokeable buds that come from cannabis plants. One pound of Delta-8 or Delta-9 weed — which is widely sold but occupies a legal gray area in South Carolina — is typically worth between $200 and $1,000.
Five days later, around 2:30 a.m. Feb. 1, surveillance video from the same business captured an unknown male lobbing a “large rock” at the front door, the police report says. The glass didn’t shatter, but the impact set off the building’s security alarm, sending the man running southbound in the direction of Old Jericho Road.
The suspect “appeared to be wearing the same jacket” as the figure from the previous break-in, according to the incident report. Master Sgt. Danny Allen, a spokesperson for the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, said police had not ruled out the idea of a single suspect but emphasized that the cases were still under investigation.
Citing safety concerns tied to the pair of incidents, an employee of the 1 Stop Smoke & Vape said the business would occasionally begin closing at 7 p.m. instead of its usual closing times of 9 p.m. weekdays and 10 p.m. on weekends, depending on staff availability. That would align its schedule with the liquor store next door.
This story was originally published February 5, 2025 at 12:27 PM.
