Law & Order

FLORENCE

Police seeking burglary suspect

Police are asking for the public's help in identifying a man who tried to break into a residence on North Cypress Street on Thursday.

"For the last couple of weeks, we've had seven to eight residential burglaries in the North Cypress, North Cedar street areas," Florence police detective Jerry Pearson said. "(Thursday) a man was seen around 7 or 8 a.m. trying to break into the back door of a residence on North Cypress Street."

Pearson said the person is described as a black man, 16 to 20 years old, 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 7 inches tall, with hair approximately 1 inch long.

"He was clean shaven and had a gap between his front teeth," Pearson said.

Pearson said all of the recent burglaries have occurred during the day when residents were not at home.

"And all of the break-ins have been through back doors or windows in the back," Pearson said.

He said televisions and electronics games have been primary targets.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 768-2728 or CrimeStoppers at 386-8685.

SPRING VALLEY

House destroyed

A residence on Colburn Mountain Road was destroyed Friday morning when a fire started while the owners were out of town.

"There wasn't anything we could do," Spring Valley Fire Chief Wayne West said.

West said the house at 4470 Colburn Mountain Road was falling in when he arrived. He said the call came in at 6:16 a.m.

"It had been burning for a while," West said.

"It was so far gone that there wasn't anything we could do. When I pulled up, you could see the frame falling."

The cause of the fire has not been determined.

Littleville firefighters assisted Spring Valley.