Dentist offices targeted in string of burglaries, Richland County sheriff says
A man has been arrested following a string of burglaries at dentist offices in South Carolina, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
Joshua Spencer, 40, was charged with three counts of second-degree burglary (violent), along with single counts of grand larceny (more than $2000, less than $10,000) and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, the sheriff’s department said Monday in a news release.
Spencer could face more charges as the sheriff’s department continues to investigate the crimes that targeted at least three dentist offices in northeast Columbia, according to the release.
Two of the burglaries occurred at separate locations Nov. 14, while another dentist office was broken into Nov. 24, the sheriff’s department said.
On Nov. 14, a rock was used to smash a window at a dentist office at 9310 Two Notch Road, according to an incident report. There were no other signs of forced entry into the building, the incident report said.
On that same day, at a dentist’s office at 9360 Two Notch Road, there was another burglary. The office manager at that location said that when she and other employees got to work they noticed that a window in one of the examination rooms had been busted in, the sheriff’s department said in the incident report. A good portion of the office was rummaged through, and $6,200 cash was missing from the office, according to the incident report.
On Nov. 24, a brick was used to smash a window in the rear of the building at 7711 Trenholm Road, according to an incident report. That’s about 2 miles from the dentist offices on Two Notch Road.
Deputies found open drawers that had been rifled through and employees of the dentist office said that some prescription pads had been removed, the incident report said.
Deputies recovered physical evidence at each of the locations, and it included surveillance footage, fingerprints and DNA, the sheriff’s department said in the release. Investigators identified Spencer as the burglary suspect by physical evidence found at crime scenes in the 9300 block of Two Notch Road, as well as in the 7700 block of Trenholm Road, according to the release.
Spencer was taken into custody Nov. 26, the sheriff’s department said. He was booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, where bond was set at $50,000 on three of the charges. But Spencer remains locked up as bond was denied on two other charges, jail records show.
The Columbia resident is also being held on a charge from Lexington County, according to jail records.
On July 8, Spencer was arrested on a breach of peace (aggravated in nature) charge, Lexington County judicial records show. He posted a $2,500 bond in July, but is wanted because he failed to appear in court on Aug. 22, according to judicial records.
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This story was originally published December 1, 2025 at 1:23 PM with the headline "Dentist offices targeted in string of burglaries, Richland County sheriff says."
