BISHOPVILLE -- An Ocean Pines man faces criminal charges after he allegedly broke into a Bishopville business in order to buy drugs.Police charged Shane William Lewis, 26, with theft over $1,000, malicious destruction of property and three counts of second-degree burglary after he allegedly broke into Northern Waterproofing and Restoration on Industrial Park Drive in Bishopville.
At about 9 p.m. on Jan. 6, an officer from the Worcester County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to Industrial Park Drive in response to a complaint of a disorderly individual, who was determined to be Lewis. Police charged him with trespassing, making a false statement to an officer and failing to obey a lawful order.
The following morning, police returned to the business park to investigate broken windows at United Technologies and Atlantic Moving Systems, according to charging documents. At Northern Waterproofing and Restoration, the front door and a secondary door had been forced open and a flat-screen television was removed from the office wall.
According to court documents, police found the TV outside, along with a flashlight that was still turned on. Upon reviewing the business's surveillance video, police saw an above-average height white male gain entry into and begin looking around inside Northern Waterproofing at 8:17 p.m.
About two minutes later, the individual noticed the surveillance camera and knocked it off the wall.
Police showed the video to the person who had reported Lewis the night before, and the man positively identified him. When he was arrested later that day, Lewis "admitted to breaking into the three businesses and stealing the flat screen in order to obtain crack cocaine," according to charging documents.
The television was valued at $60, while the surveillance camera was valued at $300. The damage to the doors at Northern Waterproofing is estimated at $1,000.
Lewis has a preliminary hearing in Worcester County District Court scheduled for Feb. 4.
