New Zion man charged with robbery at Mini Mart

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A 22-year-old New Zion man was charged Thursday with robbery after he went into a New Zion store and demanded money from the clerk before fleeing the scene.

Clarendon County Sheriff Randy Garrett said that Willie James Ham Jr., 22, of 5963 Old Manning Road in New Zion, allegedly went into the New Zion Mini-Mart on Salem Road and demanded money from the register.

"The clerk thought he was joking, and he said he was serious," Garrett said. "She was unsure if he had a gun, but she took an undetermined amount of money from the register."

James then allegedly ran out of the store and got into a red Ford Explorer, which deputies later stopped on S.C. 527 near the Sumter-Clarendon line.

"Deputies initiated a traffic stop, and both Ham and the passenger were arrested," said Garrett. The passenger's name was not immediately available Monday. Garrett said Ham was taken to the Clarendon County Detention Center, and that he was released Saturday on a $10,000 surety bond.

The clerk told deputies, according to a report, that Ham would come in the store sometimes up to 15 times a day to buy canned Lipton Brisk Iced Tea. She said he would also come in and sit at the store's table and watch her.

"(The clerk) said that earlier that day, she noticed him sitting in his vehicle outside the store and later watching her from behind the gas pump," the report states.

Ham faces between 10 and 30 years in prison, if convicted. He would have to serve at least seven before he could be paroled.