Thomas McLean, 43, of Irmo has turned himself in and is currently charged with four counts of second-degree burglary. There are at least four more charges pending and he is believed to have broken into at least eight homes. He stole almost $50,000 worth of items including jewelry, cash, coins, silver flatware, prescriptions, and even a baby stroller. He then took many of the items to pawn shops and sold them. The crimes were committed between June and October. He was able to target this area because he grew up in the neighborhood and therefore knew it well.
The current economic conditions are partly to blame for these types of crimes. When people have no money or jobs, they are more inclined to steal from others. Everyone needs to survive and sometimes this is the only obvious way for people. I think if the job market and economy stabilizes, it may cause a decrease in this type of property crime. Meanwhile, I feel sorry for the victims as they may feel unsafe. It may help the area to have an increase in occasional police surveillance to help reassure their safety.
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