A surveillance camera outside an Anderson extended-stay hotel captured the moment someone broke into a work truck and made off with more than $800 worth of tools, and now investigators say they know exactly who they're looking for. The Anderson County Sheriff's Office has issued a warrant for 30-year-old Jacob McJunkin, of the Pelzer area, and is asking the public for help finding him.
According to FOX Carolina, the theft happened at the WoodSpring Suites Anderson North I-85, an extended-stay hotel located near Interstate 85 on Threlkeld Boulevard, roughly 4.5 miles from the Anderson Civic and Sports Center, per Expedia. Extended-stay hotels like this one often draw out-of-town contractors who keep tools and equipment locked in their trucks overnight, a pattern that can make those vehicles an easy target. Investigators say surveillance video from the property captured McJunkin going through the truck and taking the tools, and the same footage picked up the license plate on his vehicle, which detectives used to identify him.
How the License Plate Cracked the Case
The station's report notes that the plate capture was central to identifying McJunkin as a suspect, giving deputies the lead they needed to seek an arrest warrant. Anderson County law enforcement agencies are known to use automated license plate reader systems, including Flock Safety technology, to track vehicles tied to criminal investigations across the region, according to the Atlas of Surveillance. It is not confirmed whether that specific system was involved in this case, but the technology reflects the kind of tools increasingly available to investigators in Anderson County.
Per the sheriff's office, McJunkin has had prior involvement with law enforcement in Anderson County. He is from the Pelzer area, a historic textile mill community along the Saluda River roughly 14 miles northeast of the city of Anderson, according to SCIWAY. Deputies are asking anyone with information on his whereabouts to come forward.
Felony and Misdemeanor Charges Both on the Table
McJunkin is charged with larceny, but the case actually spans two separate legal categories under South Carolina law. Breaking into a motor vehicle with intent to steal is a felony under South Carolina Code § 16-13-160, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000, according to Justia Law. The theft itself falls under a different statute because of its dollar value.
South Carolina Code § 16-13-30 sets the threshold for grand larceny at more than $2,000, which means the theft of roughly $800 in tools from the truck is classified as petit larceny, a misdemeanor carrying up to 30 days in jail or a $1,000 fine, per the South Carolina Legislature. If McJunkin is convicted, restitution hearings would require a court to weigh his financial resources and earning capacity before ordering compensation for the victim, under South Carolina Code § 17-25-322, according to LegiScan.
Why Work Trucks Keep Getting Targeted
Cases like this one are common enough that fleet security researchers have studied the pattern: service vans and work trucks often carry $5,000 to more than $20,000 worth of equipment, and stolen power tools move quickly and easily in secondary resale markets, according to Spytec GPS. That combination of high value and easy resale makes trucks parked overnight at hotels an attractive target for thieves.
The theft comes even as overall property crime has been trending downward across South Carolina. Statewide larceny offenses fell 10.7% in 2024, from 90,843 cases to 82,736, as part of an 11.8% drop in overall property crime, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division's annual report covered by WRHI. Even with that statewide decline, contractors and trade workers remain vulnerable to targeted tool theft given how much value sits inside a single truck.
Anderson County has grown steadily in recent years, reaching an estimated 217,183 residents in 2024, a 6.4% increase since the 2020 census that makes it South Carolina's ninth most populous county, according to Anderson County Economic Development. Anyone with information on McJunkin's whereabouts is asked to contact Anderson Area Crime Stoppers at 1-866-917-TIPS, a 24-hour anonymous tip line that partners with the Anderson County Sheriff's Office and municipal departments across the county.
