Whoops

If door has 'USMC,' move on ... but not to a side window

BY NOAH HAGLUND
The Post and Courier

"A man accused of trying to break into a Congress Street home might have missed a crucial visual cue.

The bright, red front door emblazoned with the letters "USMC" wouldn't seem to make the house an inviting target for most burglars.

Unfortunately for Anthony Deloach, police say he tried to gain entry by pulling out an air-conditioning unit on the side of the home.

True to its outward appearance, the house has been an outpost for U.S. Marines at the nearby Citadel for about a generation. Locally, it is known as "The Boneyard."

"It's a good thing that he broke into our house and not an elderly person's house or some other house in the neighborhood," said Sgt. Matthew Smith, 27, one of the three Marines credited with detaining a would-be burglar around 1:15 p.m. June 27.

Staff Sgt. Robert Clements, 30, had confronted a man at the rear of the home, then chased him a short distance with Smith and a third Marine, Sgt. Brad Parr, 23, police said.

When the trio caught up with him, the man did not put Marine battle skills to the test.

"As a matter of fact, he was very courteous," Clements said. "He was very nice and just wanted us to let him go."

Instead, they turned him over to police.

Deloach, 37, was held at the Charleston County Detention Center on Tuesday evening without bail. In addition to an attempted burglary charge, he was being held on three first-degree burglary charges from Charleston police, according to court documents."