SC 73-year-old hits spate of bad luck. He was robbed and assaulted in the same day
A 73-year-old South Carolina man had multiple run-ins with police in the same day, but not for the reasons one would think.
The Lowcountry man was robbed and nearly beaten to death in two completely unrelated incidents on the same day, according to Colleton County Sheriff’s Office reports.
The man offered to take in a 29-year-old woman for a night, according to the reports. He told deputies she had no where to go, so he fed her and gave her a place to sleep.
When he woke up, she came into his room and pointed a gun at him, demanding $900 he had made the day before selling a trailer, according to the report.
“If you don’t give me the money, I (sic) going to shoot you, old man,” said the woman, who was later identified as Meghan Connor, according to police.
The man gave her the money, and she damaged the SIM card on his phone to try and keep him from calling 9-1-1, according to the report. Connor ran off on foot, and the man contacted police.
That night, the 73-year-old was at home when he found a neighbor, who he suspected was stealing his tools at night, in his yard, according to the report. The man told the trespasser, later identified as 45-year-old Jason Benton, to get off his property.
Benton threatened to kill the man, and hit him three times in the head with a metal baseball bat, according to his arrest affidavit. He also hit him in the arm, which the man later thought was broken.
After hitting the man, Benton ran off through the woods, according to the report.
When police found Benton hours later, he claimed the 73-year-old hit him with his walking stick, according to the report. Deputies thought his injuries were more consistent with running through the woods, and arrested him.
Benton and Connor were both taken to jail.
Connor was charged with robbery and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. Benton was charged with assault and battery.
This story was originally published July 26, 2018 at 1:21 PM.