Sheriff's Office Investigating Rash of Vandalism

Early Tuesday morning Charleston County Sheriff's deputies followed a trail of broken glass from West Ashely out past Rantowles, near the Charleston County line.

Initially, deputies responded to an alarm at Up In Smoke on Ashley River Road at 2:24 a.m., where the glass along the front of the business had been smashed. The store reported some of is incense stolen.

About half an hour later, deputies were called to Carpet Baggers on Marginal Road off Savannah Highway, near Ponderosa, where someone had also smashed the glass at the front of the business. Less than 30 minutes later, deputies got a similar call at Subway at 3750 Savannah Highway, just past the intersection with Main Road. 

Twenty minutes later, deputies responded to an alarm at Farmhouse Antiques at 4915 Savannah Hwy., and found broken windows there as well, according to a Sheriff's Office statement.  

Deputies then drove along Savannah Highway looking for other businesses that had been vandalized, and found three more — Riley's Mexican Cafe, Lams Garden and Tienda Senior Miguels — in the Food Lion Shopping Center at the intersection of Highways 17 and 165, near the county line.

Other than the incense at Up In Smoke other businesses reported minimal or no thefts, according to the Sheriff's Office statement.