Daniel Prince
Smith was one of four arrested in Whitmire following chase
The Union County Sheriff’s Office sent out a release Thursday afternoon stating that an arrest has been made in some of the car break-in cases they have had reported recently. Between July 18 and August 15, the sheriff’s office stated there have been 11 car break-ins and two stolen cars in the Buffalo community. 17-year-old Dillon Jamier Smith of Buffalo was arrested and charged in four of the cases, including both the car thefts. Smith is charged with breaking and entering an automobile, two counts of petty larceny, one count of grand larceny between $2000 and $10,000, and one count of grand larceny $10,000 or greater. According to the warrants, in the early morning hours Monday, Smith broke into a 2004 Kia Optima on Church Street in Buffalo and stole a cup of change and some keys, which led to the breaking and entering charge. Last Friday, he stole a Texas plate from a parked vehicle on Haywood Street in Union, and he was seen on camera on Monday taking away a Ring doorbell camera from an address on Woodson Drive in Union. Those two incidents led to the petty larceny charges. The grand larceny charge between $2000-$10,000 came early Monday morning when he is accused of stealing a 1999 Mercedes Benz 230 from an address on Riley Road. The grand larceny $10,000 or greater charge is for the Monday theft of a 2013 Toyota Tundra from Woodson Drive, the same location where he was seen stealing the doorbell camera.
Smith was one of the four people arrested by the Whitmire Police Department after being chased from Union County in a stolen vehicle. In Newberry, he faces charges of receiving stolen goods valued at $10,000 or more, reckless driving, and failure to stop for a blue light. Others arrested in that incident include 19-year-old Dustyn Gregory Best and Adrian Zyquan Winzenried. They are both charged with receiving stolen goods valued at $10,000 or more. The fourth person is not known at this time.
The other car break-in cases are still being investigated by the sheriff’s office, which reminds you to secure or take valuables out of your vehicle and lock all doors when you aren’t in your vehicle.