Charlotte Men Arrested In York Co. Car Break-Ins

Since the start of summer, Rock Hill police and York County sheriff's deputies said they have faced an ongoing string of car break-ins, mostly at local hotels.

Businesses from Carowinds Boulevard at the state line to hotels along Dave Lyle Boulevard have been constant targets for thieves.

“It's frustrating to us," said York County sheriff's Detective Mike Baker.

Several small groups of suspects have been arrested, but deputies said it's never long until others seem to pop up and continue the crime spree.

Detectives are now investigating and working to figure out if the groups are linked. All of the people who have been arrested are young men from Charlotte. Police said they think the men are responsible for crimes in areas ranging from York County to Charlotte to Union County.

Early Friday morning, York County deputies were keeping a close eye on hotels near Carowinds, expecting criminal activity. Baker said they were there specifically with a plan to prevent crime, and that's exactly what happened.

“They saw people moving from motel to motel, backing into areas, looking for vehicles, going to vehicles," Baker said.

Moments later, deputies stopped a suspicious car and arrested 22-year-old Antwuan Oliphant, 23-year-old Donald Springs Jr. and 21-year-old Rico Brown, all of Charlotte.

Inside the car, deputies said they discovered burglary tools such as rope, gloves and materials used to break windows, as well as stolen GPS units, laptop computers and a handgun.

Oliphant, Springs and Brown face a total of 57 charges in connection with crimes in York County, including car break-ins at several Rock Hill hotels.

Brown also faces 11 charges from the city of Monroe in connection with similar crimes. Baker said it's likely the trio is linked to other crimes in the area, but the investigation is still ongoing.