Personal Injury Attorney in Beaufort, SC.

BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C. (WTOC) — At least nine burglaries in three days have left Beaufort County residents shaken as the sheriff’s office searches for multiple suspects.

The break-ins occurred between January 31 and February 2 on Lady’s Island and Saint Helena Island. Homes were targeted overnight, with several residences hit within blocks of each other.

“I go to get out of my car and I’m looking around getting paranoid, in the summer time I do that because of alligators, now I have to do that because of people,” said Kandace Palmer, a Saint Helena Island resident.

Suspects stole liquor, firearms, power tools and other valuables from homes. Deputies also found damage to the homes in question.

Palmer lives next to two homes that were broken into. The houses are part-time residences, and she says neighbors believe they are being targeted.

“They’ll see that that houses are sometimes vacant and then they’ll come back, seeing that the people aren’t here at the time,” Palmer said.

One victim told WTOC his back door was broken into and his house was ransacked. While the burglars didn’t take any valuables, they took several bottles of alcohol and left a mess.

Neighbors have a clear message to the suspects.

“Get a job, leave us alone, you know, we work hard for what we have, its not yours,” Palmer said.

The sheriff’s office is turning to the community for help. They released security footage showing the suspects in hopes someone may recognize them. Investigators are also asking residents to look back at any security footage they may have of the area.

While neighbors are on high alert, they say they are pleased with the sheriff’s office’s response. They have noticed ramped up patrols nearby while the investigation continues.

Anyone with information is asked to reach out to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

11 Beaufort County food businesses and one Jasper County location received B and C grades in January health inspections conducted by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture.

Here is a rundown of the restaurants that received the lowest ratings for the month and why they scored poorly:

Bojangles had a routine inspection on Jan. 7 and scored an 84% (B). Issues noted by inspectors included:

It was reinspected on Jan. 15 and scored an 87% with a C letter grade, and again on Jan. 23 and scored a 93% with a C letter grade, both for repeated infractions.

Bojangles was last inspected on Jan. 28 and scored a 99% (A).

Johnson Creek Tavern & Restaurant had a routine inspection on Jan. 21 and scored a 71% (C). Issues noted by inspectors included:

Johnson Creek Tavern & Restaurant was reinspected on Jan. 28 and scored a 100% (A).

Basil & Bourbon, formerly Nonna Rosa, held a routine inspection on Jan. 6 and scored a 70% (C). Issues noted included:

Basil & Bourbon was reinspected on Jan. 13 and scored a 100% (A).

OKKO was inspected on Jan. 6 and scored a 70% (C). Issues noted by inspectors included:

OKKO was reinspected on Jan. 14 and scored a 99% (A).

New York City Pizza held a routine inspection on Jan. 14 and scored an 82% (B). Issues noted by inspectors included:

New York City Pizza was reinspected on Jan. 23 and scored a 97% (A).

Antojitos Agustin was inspected on Jan. 13 and scored a 91% with a B letter grade for repeated infractions from a Jan. 7 inspection. Issues included:

Antojitos Agustin was reinspected on Jan. 20 and scored a 98% (A).

Bluffton Elementary School was inspected on Jan. 30 and scored a 97% with a B letter grade for a repeated infraction:

Bluffton Elementary School has not been reinspected as of Feb. 2, but one is required within 10 days.

Centro Mex Deluxe had a routine inspection on Jan. 30 and scored an 80% (B). Issues included:

Centro Mex Deluxe has not been reinspected as of Feb. 2, but one is required within 10 days.

House of Tang had a routine inspection on Jan. 12 and scored an 82% (B). Issues included:

House of Tang was reinspected on Jan. 21 and scored a 100% (A).

La Familia had a routine inspection on Jan. 13 and scored a 78% (B). Issues noted by inspectors included:

La Familia was reinspected on Jan. 14 and scored a 96% (A).

Miramare Italian had a routine inspection on Jan. 13 and scored an 82% (B). Issues included:

Miramare Italian was reinspected on Jan. 21 and scored a 100% (A).

Agave Azul Tacos and Tequila had a routine inspection on Jan. 12 and scored an 85% (B). Issues included:

Agave Azul Tacos and Tequila was reinspected on Jan. 20 and scored a 100% (A).

What the grades mean

Inspectors give restaurants a grade of A, B or C, depending on the conditions found at the time. Points are docked for various infractions, and restaurants have a chance to correct the problems and improve their score in a reinspection.

The grade scale is as follows:

In January, the SCDA recorded 247 inspections of restaurants, schools, stores, and other food establishments in Beaufort County and 34 in Jasper County.

The agency publishes the results of these health inspections on its website.

Newer food-grade decals include a QR code that customers can scan with their phones to see a food establishment’s latest report.

How to request an inspection

If there is an establishment for which you wish to request an inspection, you can submit a concern to the SCDA by filling out the Food Safety Complaint Form.

To learn more about how the grading system and inspections work, click here.

SHELL POINT, S.C. —

Above: Initial coverage of the crash

A 46-year-old man was arrested after authorities said a pickup truck struck two pedestrians Saturday in Beaufort County and the driver left the scene.

South Carolina Highway Patrol said the crash happened about 8 p.m. near Broad River Drive when a 2022 Ram pickup traveling east hit two pedestrians.

Troopers arrested Richard Quinn Davidson early Sunday near where the crash occurred. He is charged with two counts of felony DUI resulting in great bodily injury and two counts of hit-and-run, according to highway patrol.

A Shell Point resident, Emma Schoenstra, said she saw two women — whom she described as a mother and daughter — being pulled on a makeshift sled behind a vehicle before they were left in the roadway.

“They were being dragged by a rope attached to a truck on a container lid just up and down the snow, having fun,” Schoenstra said.

Schoenstra said she ran outside after the impact and helped care for the injured women while waiting for emergency crews.

“I was wrapping up their hands that were laying in the snow, wrapping up their feet, they had lost their shoes,” she said. “I was just wrapping all of their limbs that were touching the ice so they could stay warm until the ambulance got here.”

She said the driver stopped briefly before leaving.

“He did get back in his car and reversed out and left the scene,” Schoenstra said.

Authorities said the women were taken to a hospital for treatment. Their conditions were not released.

Davidson was booked into the Beaufort County Detention Center around 1 a.m. Sunday and released later that afternoon, according to the report. The crash remains under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

Initial report:

A pickup truck struck two women Saturday night in the Shell Point area of Beaufort County, where they had been sledding, authorities said.

The crash happened about 8 p.m. on Shell Point Road near Broad River Drive, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol. Troopers said a 2022 Ram pickup traveling east on Shell Point Road hit two pedestrians and left the scene.

A witness said two women were being towed behind a vehicle on a plastic container lid. When that vehicle made to turn around, the two were left in the road alone. Moments later, the pickup truck struck them.

Law enforcement later located the vehicle and driver.

Richard Quinn Davidson, 46, of Beaufort, was charged with hit-and-run resulting in great bodily injury and felony driving under the influence, authorities said.

Davidson was booked into the Beaufort County Detention Center at 1:55 a.m. Sunday and released at 4:01 p.m. the same day, according to jail records.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

TRENDING STORIES

Snow fell in Beaufort, Port Royal and Hilton Head Island Saturday evening in an extremely rare weather event for coastal South Carolina, with the accumulation a treat for the uninitiated but potentially treacherous for drivers.

As temperatures fell, the unusual winter storm initially produced a mix of rain and specks of snow and ice in the early afternoon. By 4:30 p.m., as darkness approached, that flurry had turned to fluffy white snowflakes that floated from the gray skies like aliens in a region better known for its palmetto and live oak trees, beaches and balmy wintertime temperatures in the 60s, not its snowscapes.

By 5:30 p.m., popular landmarks like The Henry Robinson Boardwalk in Port Royal had a layer of white frosting. Snow accumulated on palmetto fronds. Residents tossed salt on sidewalks to keep ice from forming.

“I grew up in Charleston just up the road and I can count on one hand how much I’ve seen snow in my lifetime,” Beaufort Mayor Phil Cromer said Saturday morning, as the city prepared for uncommonly cold weather and snow.

To be sure, snowfall as of early evening was still just a dusting. But any snow in these parts is exceptional — there’s a 9% chance of seeing snow each year, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

In the last 127 years, Beaufort has seen measurable snowfall only 11 times, according to the Beaufort History Museum: 1899, 1914, 1943, 1948, 1958, 1973, 1989, 2006, 2010, 2018 and 2025.

While a curiosity for locals, the danger heading into Saturday night and Sunday evening was that the extreme cold would turn area roads, especially bridges, into ice rinks. Usually when it snows, Cromer said, it just melts. Not this time.

Saturday evening, the National Weather Service was forecasting potentially record-breaking temperatures and dangerous windchills Sunday morning. Lows could be in the upper teens to lower 20s with “feels like” temps in the single digits.

Also in the forecast was an additional 1 to 2 inches of snow.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation had snowplows on standby just in case more snow accumulated.

One was parked near William Hilton Parkway and Squire Pope Road on Hilton Head Island Saturday afternoon.

Heavy Machine Operator Trey Woods said he was on standby in case any plowing was needed Saturday night.

Even rarer than snow falling in Beaufort County is a snow two years in a row. Last January, in 2025, 3 inches was recorded in Beaufort and 2.5 inches in Port Royal.

“We’re talking an extremely rare event if this were to happen — especially considering we just had snow last year,” Brian Haines, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Charleston, said prior to the snowfall.

The last time the area saw snow prior to 2025 was in 2018, when 3.5 inches was recorded in Beaufort and 3 inches in Port Royal.

The last time it snowed two years in a row?

In Charleston, it was 1988 and 1989, the Weather Service’s Haines said, and Savannah saw consecutive years of snow in 1917 and 1918.

The last big, memorable snowfall in the Lowcountry was the record-breaker that happened in December 1989, when more than 6 inches was recorded and the Lowcountry experienced a rare white Christmas.

Authorities urged residents to stay off the roads unless they absolutely had to venture out and to bundle up in layers.

Saturday afternoon, Gabriela Almeyda, wearing mittens and a stocking cap, scraped snow together that had accumulated on a bench in downtown Beaufort, attempting to form a snowball. The visiting girl from Florida had never seen snow before.

It was nice, she said. Her first impression: “It’s soft.”

Island Packet reporter Li Khan contributed to this story.

BLUFFTON, S.C. (WTOC) - The Lowcountry is bracing for the possibility of a winter storm that could shake up weekend plans.

People are already heading to stores to stock up on supplies, and the South Carolina Department of Transportation says they are prepared and ready to go when called.

From salt to plant blankets, people are trying to get a hold of whatever they can to prepare for what could be a wintry weekend in the Lowcountry.

“I did the best I could by buying this little handy shovel here,” Bluffton resident Thomas Rowe said. “If we do get some heavy snow, I am going to be sore for many days.”

A winter storm could bring heavy snow and ice to different parts of the state.

“Travel conditions, if we do see that type of snow falling, would become hazardous,” Secretary of Transportation for SCDOT, Justin Powell, said.

With that in mind, some people are ready to take the recommended approach of staying inside.

“If it gets icy, I’m not going anywhere,” Bluffton resident Mike Nolte said. “I’m staying home, I got a nice fireplace, so I’ll just build a fire and stay home and relax.”

And while some people are planning to stay home.

SCDOT says they already have crews out pretreating major roadways, interstates, and bridges across the state by spraying brine ahead of the storm.

That brine is made using salt that SCDOT says has been restocked after using some last week.

Officials say it will help keep the roads open as long as possible, but also help SCDOT clear the roads later.

If the need arises, SCDOT says they are ready to go into 24-hour operation starting on Friday.

That means the 3,000 employees in the department will be working around the clock in shifts, and that their 1,200 pieces of equipment will be spread out across the state to respond.

“We are prepared, we are actively working to get ready for this storm, we work through the duration of this storm, and when it is over, we will continue to work until the roads are reopened and cleared,” Powell said.

WTOC spoke with officials from Beaufort, Jasper, and Hampton counties, who told me that right now they are just monitoring the storm and are getting together potential plans that will be used if the need arises.