Man charged with breaking windows on S.C. State House

Police have charged a man they say broke windows on the S.C. State House grounds early Sunday.

Ernest Rodney Thompson, 46, was charged with damage to state property and taken to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, according to Sherri Iacobelli, a spokewoman for the S.C. Department of Public Safety.

Two Bureau of Protective Services officers were on routine patrol on State House grounds around 4 a.m. Sunday when they saw a man coming down the south steps of the State House, Iacobelli said. The man, later identified as Thompson, was “speaking loudly to the officers” and walking toward them with a piece of wood in his hand.

The officers gave commands to Thompson to stop and drop the object, Iacobelli said. One of the officers presented a Taser, but it was not deployed.

Thompson was compliant, and after being handcuffed admitted he busted the windows on the east side of the State House grounds, which is the entrance to the lieutenant governor’s office, Iacobelli said. Thompson also told officers he broke the windows on vehicles parked on Main Street. That damage was reported to the Columbia Police Department.

Iacobelli said two glass panes on doors going into the east side of the building were broken. There was no word on the cost to replace the panes.

It was unclear exactly how many windows were broken on the State House. Iacobelli said the eastside steps will remain closed to visitors Sunday while repairs are made.

This story was originally published June 11, 2017 at 1:30 PM with the headline "Man charged with breaking windows on S.C. State House."