Staff report
A 51-year-old Ellerbe man has been charged with breaking into Mineral Springs Elementary School on Greenlake Road in Ellerbe stemming from an Aug. 14 incident.
On that day, Richmond County sheriff’s deputies found where someone had broken into the building but did not locate anything missing. Later that same night, the alarm sounded again. Deputies arrived to find James Edward Pankey, of the “streets of Ellerbe,” in the area.
After reviewing surveillance footage, Pankey was arrested for going into the school on two different occasions. Nothing was reported missing in either instance.
Pankey was held on a $10,000 secure bond in Richmond County Jail, having been charged with two counts of breaking and entering, possession of burglary tools and possession of drug paraphernalia.
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