Sheriff: Former deputy stole prescription drugs from elderly neighbor | Crime

LANCASTER COUNTY - A former Lancaster County Sheriff's deputy is facing charges after he reportedly stole prescription drugs from an elderly neighbor.

According to the Lancaster County Sheriff, 39-year-old Charles Minors, of Lancaster, befriended an 80-year-old neighbor and stole her prescription medication from inside her home. Minor is facing six counts of Burglary 2nd Degree, four counts of Theft of a Controlled Substance and one count of Obtaining Prescription Drugs by Deceit.

The Sheriff's Office began an investigation after the victim's family members contacted an investigator with whom they attend church.  The family raised concerns that the victim’s medication was being stolen by Minors.

According to arrest warrants provided to WBTV, investigators found that on several occasions Minors lured the elderly neighbor out of her kitchen in order to steal her medications.

On one occasion, he asked for assistance in searching for a recipe using the victim's computer. In separate incidents, Minors asked the victim to sew a pair of pants and a pair of work gloves for him.  In a fourth incident, Minors asked the neighbor for helping baking a sweet potato pie.  While the neighbor was lured into a back room, Minors stole medication from the kitchen, the arrest warrant states.

The warrants state that the neighbor became suspicious of Minors' actions in May 2010, saying he would come over to her home often and within a matter of minutes would always need a glass of water or use the restroom.  The victim told investigators that she never heard a tiolet flush or find used glasses in her sink.

On January 14th, after becoming suspicious, investigators say the victim had exactly 14 Ambien pills in a bottle, but after Minors came over to visit, she only had 12 pills in the bottle.

That's when she talked to investigators, the warrant states.

"As with the majority of the crimes in this country, substance abuse seems to be at the root of these crimes. However, it is certainly not an excuse for criminal behavior and wrongdoing by any member of this agency and will not be tolerated," Sheriff Barry Faile stated. "Even if it results in criminal charges against one of our own.”

“As law enforcement officers we are rightly held to a higher standard than others.” Faile continued, “The trust that is placed in us by the citizens we protect and serve is awesome and criminal behavior for any reason has no place in our profession. It is unfortunate that the misdeeds of one law enforcement officer will tarnish the good work of the rest of our deputies.”

An incident report was filed with the Sheriff's Office on January 25th.  Major David Belk with the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office says Deputy Minor left the Sheriff's Office on January 18th.

Minors had previously served with the Lancaster City Police Department and the Pageland Police Department before coming to the sheriff’s office in 2007.

Minors is currently being held at the Lancaster County Detention Center. Bond has not yet been established.