Police arrest 2 for car parts theft

Two men are in jail after their arrests by Lexington police.

Lexington Police Chief Terrence Green announced Friday the arrests of Tyler Lee Childers, 23, of Harleyville, and John Otis Carn III, 24, of Saint George, after officers found them stealing catalytic converters from vehicles overnight at a car dealership.

At approximately 11:40 pm, officers responded to JT’s Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, located at 4838 Sunset Boulevard, for a burglary alarm and found the gate to the parking lot open.

With the assistance of Lexington County deputies and drone technology, officers found and arrested Childers, and later Carn III.

Childers has been charged with unlawful carrying of a pistol, breaking into a motor vehicle, criminal conspiracy, attempted breaking into a motor vehicle, and injury to real property.

Carn has been charged with possession of stolen nonferrous metals, criminal conspiracy, injury to real property, and 2 counts each of breaking into a motor vehicle and possession of implements used in a crime.

Both are at the Lexington County Detention Center awaiting Bond Court.

2 sought in Pelion forgeries

Pelion police are seeking 2 people involved with forgeries in the town.

Emily Melton and Robert Anderson cashed 2 checks for $475 and $485 respectively at the Shumpert’s IGA.

Both checks were returned by the bank as forgeries. Warrants were obtained for their arrests.

Anyone with information as to their whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Pelion Police Department by Facebook Messenger or call at 803-894-2520.

Leesville man ID’ed in fatal crash

Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher has identified the individual who was killed as a result of a single-vehicle accident that occurred at approximately

2:45 am on April 5 at the intersection of Pine Grove Road and Fairview Road.

Allen Maurice Johnson, 53, of Leesville, was transported from the scene and pronounced dead at an area hospital due to his injuries, according to Fisher.

Johnson was traveling along Pine Grove Road, disregarded the stop sign at Fairview Road, and his vehicle went down an embankment, then collided with a fence and a tree.

Johnson was wearing a seat belt when the collision occurred.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating.

Cayce man busted for meth

A traffic stop on Interstate 20 Friday led to the seizure of more than 200 grams of meth.

Anthony Frank Lavenia, 46, is charged with trafficking meth, according to an arrest warrant. “A deputy pulled a car over for a traffic violation near mile marker 41 on I-20 east,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said Thursday. “A K-9 indicated the presence of drugs in the car during the traffic stop.”

Koon said deputies eventually found about 250 grams of meth in the car driven by Lavenia, a Cayce resident.

“Deputies arrested Lavenia on the scene of the traffic stop and took him to the Lexington County Detention Center,” Koon said.