Bluffton man suspected in several car break-ins

A Bluffton man was charged Wednesday after deputies saw him pulling on door handles on Hilton Head Island while wearing gloves.

Cory Whittington, 28, saw an investigator watching him pull on the vehicle handles at Coligny Beach Park, got in his vehicle and drove away toward North Forest Beach Drive, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office news release.

He failed to pull over when the investigator turned on his patrol lights and was eventually stopped and arrested on Avocet Street, the release said.

Inside Whittington’s Nissan Xterra, deputies found a purse, electronic tablets and a checkbook that had been reported stolen from an unlocked vehicle in the parking lot at the Tanger 2 Outlets in Bluffton on Tuesday, the release said.

They also found hypodermic needles and the gloves the investigator saw Whittington wearing at the park, the release said.

He was charged with failure to stop for blue lights and receiving stolen goods for being in possession of the items stolen from Tanger 2, the release said. Whittington has not been charged in the park incident and additional charges may follow after the needles undergo a chemical analysis, the release said.

Deputies suspect Whittington may have been involved in recent vehicle break-ins throughout southern Beaufort County.

Anyone who has witnessed suspicious activity can contact Investigator Seth Reynells at 843-255-3709. Anonymous tips can be made to Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CrimeSC.

This story was originally published February 18, 2016 at 3:34 PM with the headline "Bluffton man suspected in several car break-ins."