Abbeville, S.C.; April 9, 2021 – A Donalds man will spend the next two decades behind bars after pleading guilty Friday morning to a massive rash of burglaries that spanned three counties over nearly three months, 8th Circuit Solicitor David M. Stumbo announced Friday.
James Steven Brown Jr., 39, pleaded guilty to more than a dozen charges, including first-degree burglary and grand larceny, related to a string of burglaries spanning Abbeville, Greenwood, and Laurens counties. Circuit Judge R. Lawton McIntosh then sentenced Brown to concurrent 20-year sentences on two first-degree burglary charges along with other concurrent prison sentences on the slew of remaining charges to which he pleaded guilty.
Brown’s crime spree began in June 2017 in Abbeville County where he robbed a number of storage sheds and outbuildings. The spree continued into Greenwood and Laurens counties where Brown broke into at least two homes where the owner had recently died and the owners’ children were dealing with the recent loss of a loved one while also dealing with the burglary of the loved one’s home. Brown ran from police on at least two occasions before he was eventually caught and detained in Anderson County.
Senior Assistant Solicitor Micah Black handled the case for the state with assistance from 8th Circuit Investigator Chris Wilkie and Victim Advocate Sarah Parris. Brown was represented by Tristan Shaffer of the Abbeville Public Defender’s Office.
Solicitor Stumbo praised the work of his staff along with the excellent cooperation between the three law enforcement agencies, including Abbeville, Greenwood and Laurens county investigators. The Solicitor particularly pointed out the great investigative work of Captain Matt Graham and Lt. Jeff Hines of the Abbeville County Sheriff’s Office, as well as Investigator Ricky Madden of the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office.
“I cannot say enough about the tremendous amount of teamwork and cooperation between several agencies to take this career criminal off the streets,” Solicitor Stumbo said following the plea proceeding. “I am proud that our Abbeville court team was able to ensure that James Brown will no longer be a nuisance to our citizens for many years to come.”