Man Sentenced In Connection To String Of 2023 Robberies

In 2023, Samuel Smith broke into some of the area's best-known locally-owned restaurants and bars.

One man has been sentenced in connection to a string of robberies along the Grand Strand.

In 2023, Samuel Smith broke into some of the area’s best-known locally-owned restaurants and bars.

The items stolen include safes, some with thousands of dollars inside, a firearm and more. That includes the ashes of a former bartender at the Old Bull and Bush Pub along Highway 17 Bypass.

Bobby Tourney’s ashes have yet to be recovered.

Other locations that were hit include, Handley’s, The Sneaky Beagle, and more.

Smith was sentenced to four years and six months in prison after a negotiated guilty plea to two counts of second-degree non-violent burglary and one count of grand larceny.