SC man tried to steal thousands from a bank, police say. Now he and others are in jail
Three South Carolina men are in jail after one of them used a false identity to open a bank account and take out a $10,000 loan, according to the Forest Acres Police Department.
Sumter residents Emanuel Franklin, 25, Roderick Holmes, 24, and Nathaniel Witherspoon, 52, were taken into custody Tuesday, police said in a news release.
Police said Franklin attempted to steal $10,000 from South State Bank on Forest Drive in Columbia, and he was arrested inside the bank at about noon Tuesday.
Acting on a tip from the bank earlier in the week, police said they had the bank under surveillance and were there “while the crime was committed.”
For opening an account and getting the five-figure loan under a false name, Franklin was charged with bank fraud, identity theft, and obtaining goods under false pretense (over $10,000), according to the release. The last charge is a felony with a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison, according to South Carolina law.
Once he was in custody, police said they learned Franklin was wanted for previous incidents in other parts of South Carolina. Arrest warrants had been issued for Franklin in Georgetown County, and by both the Conway Police Department and Surfside Police Department, according to the release.
Information about the charges Franklin is facing in those other jurisdictions was not available.
While arresting Franklin, other officers at the bank saw two men — later identified as Holmes and Witherspoon —exit his vehicle and flee to a nearby business, police said. After they were questioned, it was determined they were working as Franklin’s lookouts and were also arrested, according to the release.
Both Holmes and Witherspoon were each charged with accessory before the fact of obtaining goods under false pretense (over $10,000), police said. If convicted on this felony charge, each Holmes and Witherspoon face a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison, according to South Carolina law.
The three men were booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center and are scheduled to have a bond hearing Wednesday afternoon, according to the release.
“Let’s be crystal clear. In Forest Acres we will not allow our citizens or our businesses to be victimized,” Police Chief Don Robinson said in the release. “We take forgery and shoplifting extremely seriously.”
On Monday in Forest Acres, a Florida man was charged with shoplifting (enhanced) and burglary after he led officers on a chase and was caught near Trenholm Plaza with 74 stolen bottles of travel-size perfume concealed in his clothing, police said. The stolen items were valued at $2,923.48.
“As recent crimes this week indicate these perpetrators are coming from outside of our city and state into Forest Acres to commit theft. I hope they’ve gotten the message loud and clear — Forest Acres is where your crime spree ends,” Robinson said.
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