SC man broke into home, held woman at gunpoint, tried to get her nude, deputies say
A South Carolina man was locked up after being charged with multiple crimes related to a recent break in at a Midlands home, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.
On April 23, Ronnie Benjamin Nero Jr. was charged with first-degree burglary, kidnapping, two counts of pointing and presenting a firearm, and third-degree assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
On or between April 20 and 21, the 43-year-old Mayesville man forced his way into a woman’s home in Wedgefield without consent, according to the release. That’s about 35 miles east of Sumter.
Details on how he broke in were not available, but while inside, Nero prevented the victim from leaving, pointed a gun at her and demanded she give him money, the sheriff’s office said.
Nero also tried to disrobe the victim with the intent to commit criminal sexual conduct, according to the release.
There was no word if Nero and the victim knew each other prior to the incident.
Information on how Nero was identified and where he was when arrested was not made available.
Nero remains behind bars at the Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center after his bond was set at $100,000 on the combined charges, jail records show.
If convicted, Nero would face a maximum punishment of life in prison on the felony burglary charge, 30 years on the felony kidnapping charge, 5 years for each pointing and presenting charge, and 10 years on the assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct charge, according to South Carolina law.
In 2009, Nero was arrested for two counts of pointing and presenting a firearm at a person, but those charges were disposed in 2014, Sumter County court records show.
Prior to that in 2002, Nero pleaded guilty to malicious injury to personal property, and in 2003 he pleaded guilty to malicious injury to real property, court records show.
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