Martin resident arrested for Grand Larceny in SC

Stephens County resident has been arrested and charged with Grand Larceny by the Oconee County South Carolina Sheriff’s Office. 

Zachary Dewain Butler, of Gumlog Road, Martin, was taken into custody following an investigation into the theft of a diamond engagement ring valued at $2,500.

According to an incident report on file with the OCSO, a woman called the sheriff’s office on April 2 to report that her engagement ring had been stolen from her home in West Union, South Carolina. 

The victim stated she had hired Murdock’s Landscaping and Home Management LLC, based in Anderson, South Carolina, to perform repairs on her home’s upstairs bathroom.  

In the report, she stated that the company owner, Mike Murdock, and his assistant, Zach Butler, were in her home beginning on Saturday, April 22 through Monday, April 24. The victim said she noticed on April 25 that her engagement ring was missing from the caddy in the upstairs bathroom where she normally kept it. 

The victim advised law enforcement officials that she and her husband took the sink apart to ensure that the ring had not fallen into the drain. 

Not locating the missing ring during their search, the victim then called Murdock to report that her personal property was missing, and Murdock assured her he would talk to Butler about the issue.

The victim also contacted the Sheriff’s office to file an incident report about the missing white gold and diamond engagement ring.

While completing initial steps in the investigation into the missing ring, the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office received another call from the victim, who advised officials that Murdock had contacted her and had returned her ring to her. He had also provided her with the Butler’s name.

The victim advised Law Enforcement officials that, although the ring was returned, she still wished to press charges against Butler. 

The Sheriff’s Office took Butler into custody and transported him to the Oconee County South Carolina detention center and charged him with Grand Larceny. 

The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation is ongoing, and noted that, if Butler were to be released from custody, he would be required to wear an electronic monitoring device as a condition of bond.