CHARLESTON, SC NEWS - LIVE 5 WCSC Breaking News, Weather, SportsVandals strike rural worship center
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GEORGETOWN COUNTY, SC (WCSC) - From mailboxes to a religious building, vandals left little untouched during a crime spree spread throughout one street in a rural community Tuesday night. The suspects struck just outside the small town of Andrews in Georgetown County on Big Dam Swamp Drive.
Congregation members at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses spent the morning painting over the work of vandals. The graffiti is so graphic we had to blur out what it says along with pictures the vandals drew.
"It was very disappointing. We couldn't believe that someone would come and do something like this to our Kingdom Hall," Angelica Towe said.
"It's so sad. People do ignorant things like this to other people," Michael Thomas said.
The criminals busted out light bulbs at the worship center and damaged two mailboxes, one of which went missing.
"They would take one away completely so I have the neighbor's mail, and words really can't express how frustrating it is for us," Towe said.
The Kingdom Hall wasn't the only place the vandals struck. All up and down Big Dam Swamp Drive mailboxes were knocked down. Signs were pulled from the ground, and someone spray painted over several street signs.
Georgetown County Sheriff's Office says the criminals damaged 14 mailboxes in a one mile stretch, costing more than $1,000 for repairs.
Highway patrol says two stop signs needed repairs.
Back at the Jehovah's Witness Hall congregation members say they worry someone targeted them.
"I don't know it might have been a random act of vandalism. Some of the things that were painted on the kingdom hall would kind of make somebody think there were religious overtones," Eddie Towe said.
The Sheriff's Office says they do not suspect gang activity and they are not investigating the vandalism at the Kingdom Hall as a hate crime.
The Sheriff's Office doesn't have any suspects, but they tell Live 5 News that witnesses saw a group of young men in the area Wednesday morning.
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