Alert North Charleston security officer helps police nab burglars
North Charleston SC Jan 28 2021
One day after North Charleston Police Department officials said they were stepping up against catalytic converter thefts, three people were arrested for trying to steal the auto parts from cars in a parking lot.
David Charles Sweat, 31, David Andy Martin, 34, and Damien Freeman, 30, were arrested in the early morning hours of Jan. 27 on charges for obtaining nonferrous metals unlawfully. Sweat had an additional charge of giving false information to an officer.
According to a police report, officers responded to an auto dealership on Rivers Avenue at 2:38 a.m. after a security guard said he heard noises that were similar to someone cutting off catalytic converters. He also told officers that two males fled on foot when they saw him trying to chase them.
At a nearby cemetery, officers found a silver pickup truck with three males. After running their identifications, officers recognized their names for numerous catalytic converters thefts, officers said.
The police report states that the officer also saw three catalytic converters in the back of the pickup truck.
When asked what they were doing at the cemetery, they said they were there to “smoke a blunt” and visit the grave of a friend who died in 2014, officers said.
During the conversation, Sweat also provided a false name and identity, later admitting he lied because he had a warrant.
All three were given bonds of $100,000, although Freeman has since posted bail.
