Hilton Head woman sentenced after breaking into ex’s home ‘to blow up the house’
A Hilton Head Island woman will avoid prison after she reportedly told police she intended to “blow up the house” during a 2024 break-in at her ex-boyfriend’s residence.
Krystal Ciera Heyward, 30, pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary Wednesday and received 18 months of probation, according to Beaufort County court records. Her bond conditions include orders to undergo mental health counseling and drug and alcohol treatment.
Police responded just after midnight on Sept. 21, 2024, to a residence in Hilton Head’s Spanish Wells community, where the homeowner told deputies Heyward had removed an air-conditioning unit from a window in order to make her way into the house, according to previous reporting.
While being questioned by police, Heyward admitted to the break-in and removed two containers from her backpack, which she conceded were meant to “blow up the house,” a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office incident report said.
Heyward had a bleach bottle “that appeared to be highly pressurized,” several lighters, a knife and a “sauce jar” and attached canister wrapped in a wet cloth that smelled of accelerant and other chemicals, the report said.
Police at the time said the items could not have resulted in an explosion, but they still charged Heyward with possessing a destructive device, a felony, because she admitted her intention to use them as an explosive.
Heyward’s destructive device charge was dismissed by prosecutors Wednesday, according to court records, and her burglary charge was downgraded from first- to second-degree before she pleaded guilty.
Court records show Heyward received a five-year suspended sentence, meaning she must serve five years in prison if she violates the conditions of her probation.
