Million-dollar bond set for man after crime spree, Columbia police say
A $1 million bond was set for a South Carolina man arrested on an armed robbery charge after a recent crime spree, the Columbia Police Department said.
In addition to that charge, William Fitzgerald Wilson was also arrested for possession of a deadly weapon during a violent crime, first-degree burglary, second-degree burglary, two counts of petit larceny, police said in a news release.
The 56-year-old Greenville native was also charged with unlawful urination or defecation, Richland County court records show.
Wilson’s bond was set at $1,077,125 on the combined charges and he’s being held at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, according to jail records. Information about why such a large bond was set was not available.
The charges stem from three investigations, police said.
On Oct. 22, Wilson was armed with a gun and threatened a clerk at North Beltline Boulevard Shell gas station, before stealing a significant amount of cigarettes, according to the release. That’s near the intersection with Two Notch Road.
On Oct. 24, Wilson broke into the Gaz-Bah convenience store in the 3400 block of Devine St. and stole a significant amount of tobacco products, police said. That’s near Dreher High School, about 3 miles from the robbery at the Shell gas station.
On Halloween, Wilson broke into a business in the 2000 block of Devine Street and stole multiple bottles of alcohol, according to the release.
After this burglary, surveillance video helped provide the thief’s clothing, and an officer dispatched to the initial crime scene saw a man matching the description and detained the man who was later identified as Wilson, police said.
Officers also determined that Wilson was wearing the same clothing in at least two of the crimes, according to the release.
This is not the first time Wilson has been arrested. Wilson pleaded guilty to multiple burglary charges in 2009 and 2015, and on petit larceny charges in 2018, police said. He also pleaded guilty to another burglary charge in 2018, court records show.
Jonathan Loveless was also arrested in connection to the Oct. 24 incident, and the 47-year-old was charged with second-degree burglary and petit larceny, police said. A $100,000 bond was set for Loveless, who remains behind bars at the Richland County jail, records show.
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