Summerton man charged with armed robbery; Manning man still sought

Posted
Clarendon County Sheriff Randy Garrett said one 20-year-old Summerton man has been arrested and another 20-year-old Manning man is being sought for their roles in the alleged armed robbery, kidnapping and assault of a 15-year-old Manning boy in mid-February. Garrett said Charles Earnest Dycus Jr. was taken into custody March 7 and was charged with armed robbery, kidnapping, assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature and possesion of a handgun during a violent crime. "The suspects were known to the victim, and they picked him up (Feb. 16) in Dycus' pickup truck," Garrett said Saturday. "During the incident, the gentleman we arrested had a handgun, and the other suspect had a knife, and they held him at gunpoint and with a knife to his throat, threatening the victim for his money." Garrett said he was unsure how much cash the victim had on his person, but that the victim gave the cash to the suspects. "He was then somehow able to jump out of the truck, and he got cut pretty badly on his wrist and neck," Garrett said. The boy sought treatment at Clarendon Memorial Hospital, Garrett said, where medical staff had to use a tourniquet to stop the bleeding to the wrist. The victim reportedly also had to have stitches for his neck wound. "The victim is recovering, but his wrist is still bandaged heavily," Garrett said. "Overall, this was a pretty severe incident." Inv. Eric Rosdail said that after the incident, both suspects traveled to Florida. "They returned about a week before Dycus' arrest," Rosdail said. Deputies are still seeking Shawn D. Bowen, who is described as a white male with dark hair. Rosdail said the suspect has no driver's license, and thus no photo was available for print. If anyone has any information relating to this case or Bowen's whereabouts, he or she is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at (803) 435-4414.