An alleged burglar drowns while trying to swim away from deputies.
It all started around 3 am Thursday morning when an alarm went off at Boiling Springs Small Engine. The shop is just past the Wal-Mart on Highway 9 in Boiling Springs.
Investigators say when they arrived the man took off running through a field, then some woods before finally diving into a pond. Hours later dive teams found his body in the water. Investigators say the suspect swam about 80 yards before going under.
The owner of Boiling Springs Small Engine got a call that his store alarm was going off. Just as he turned on the surveillance video on his home computer he saw one of his cameras jerk and point to the ground, that's when he said he knew someone was on his property. When deputies got to the store they found a hole in the fence surrounding the building.
The owner tells us they also found an unknown truck with a tag number in the back. He says after deputies ran the tag they called the owner. He says the owner of the truck told them he sold it, but little did they know he was hiding near the shop watching deputies and talking to them on his cell phone.
As soon as the bloodhounds arrived the dogs picked up his sent. Deputies say the suspect took off through a field and then into the woods before finally jumping into a pond. The store owner says a deputy was swimming towards the suspect before he went under the five hours later a diver found his body.
"Crime doesn't pay. Sorry for what happened but that's what happens when you break the law," said owner, Frank Waters.
This is the second time someone has tried to burglarize Boiling Springs Small Engine. The coroner has identified the suspect as 40-year-old James Edward Harris, and says Harris drowned in 10-12 feet of water.
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