Belton man faces multiple charges,

including failure to stop for blue lights

COUNTY — The man suspected of breaking into a home near Six Mile before leading police on a chase from Central into Clemson last month is still on the loose.

According to a Pickens County Sheriff’s Office incident report, a homeowner arrived at his home on Six Mile Highway in the afternoon of Dec. 18 to find a green Chevrolet car sitting in front of the residence with its engine running. The homeowner told police he saw a man coming from the back of the home carrying items including a long gun.

The homeowner said the man told him his family was hungry, then got in the vehicle and left. The homeowner then called 911 and gave a description of the vehicle and its license plate number.

Officers said it appeared that the man had entered the home through a door accessible in the open garage, then had rummaged through three bedrooms before taking items from the master bedroom and exiting through a back door in the master bathroom of the home.

A deputy, while en route to the home, saw a green Chevrolet Lumina matching the suspect vehicle’s description at the intersection of Maw Bridge Road and Gaines Street in Central. The officer motioned for the vehicle to pull out onto Gaines Street, where he attempted to make a traffic stop. The driver disregarded the directions and, after the officer turned on his blue lights, the vehicle passed a car on a double yellow line and crossed over the railroad tracks in an attempt to evade the officer, according to an incident report.

The officer turned on his siren as he followed the vehicle onto S.C. Highway 93 heading toward Clemson, where the suspect continued to drive recklessly and reached speeds of more than 80 mph before turning left onto Cambridge Road. The officer lost sight of the vehicle briefly before finding it again on Issaqueena Trail, again reaching speeds of approximately 80 mph. The officer lost sight of the vehicle once more, and upon reaching Pendleton Road, a driver told him that the suspect had turned onto another road. The officer then found the suspect vehicle abandoned at the end of Tant Street.

According to an incident report, the property stolen from the home was recovered in the vehicle.

Investigation in the case led to warrants being filed against Christopher Cory Vaughn, 35, of 1106 Oneal St. in Belton. Vaughn is charged with larceny, burglary and failure to stop for blue lights.

According to a warrant, police believe Vaughn took a .22 rifle, headphones, perfume, Craftsman drill, watch and flashlight from the home.

Anyone with information on Vaughn’s whereabouts is asked to call Pickens County Crime Stoppers at (864) 898-KOPS (5677).