Orangeburg men charged in Cordova burglary; deputies allege suspects caught during crime | Crime & Courts

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Deputies allege they caught two Orangeburg men in the act of burglarizing a home on Monday night, according to an Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office incident report.

Stephen Christopher Luner, 31, of 4104 Stillwood Circle, and Marc Anthony Rushing Jr., 18, of 286 Lake Edisto Drive, are each facing one count of first-degree burglary.

A deputy responded to an unoccupied Cannon Bridge Road residence around 10:30 pm after an alarm was activated.

When he got to the Cordova home, he discovered one of the doors was unlocked.

He returned to his patrol vehicle and waited for other deputies to arrive.

While he waited, he heard a “loud bump” coming from inside the home, the report states.

After more deputies arrived, they called out, “Sheriff’s Office! If you’re inside, come out with your hands up!”

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Deputies then went into the home and called out again. There was no response.

Moments later, deputies located a man inside a dark closet. The man had one hand raised.

Deputies ordered him to the ground, put his hands behind his back and then handcuffed him.

Deputies asked the man if anyone else was in the home.

The man allegedly replied, “No, I’m by myself.”

A bedroom door was locked. Deputies made contact with the homeowner, who said they could open it.

A deputy kicked open the door and found a man sitting on the floor.

Deputies claim Luner told them he was inside the house because he thought it was abandoned and he was looking for a warm place to sleep. He said he was wearing latex gloves to stay warm.

They claim he was also carrying a pocket knife.

Deputies allege Rushing told them that Luner gained access to the inside of the home and used a pair of hedge trimmers to cut the wires to the alarm system.

Rushing allegedly said he was inside of the home to look for a place to sleep, but Luner was there to take things.

Deputies alleviate the men “made piles of items” to steal. The report also claims the men damaged items inside of the home.

Orangeburg County Chief Magistrate Derrick Dash set their bonds at $25,000 each on Tuesday. They were still at the Orangeburg County Detention Center on Wednesday.

If convicted, both men face up to life in prison.

Contact the writer: [email protected] or 803-533-5545. Follow on Twitter: @MRBrownTandD

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