A woman from the 600 block of Bill Street in Murrells Inlet called 911 at about 5 p.m. Feb. 28 when she found a 5-year-old child she did not know in her front yard.

The child could not tell the woman where he lived and appeared to be autistic.

Before calling for help the woman walked around the neighborhood trying to find his parents.

When an officer arrived, he spoke to the child who said he was 5 but did not know where he lives.

The child then said he did not want to go home because he did not want to be hit and was hungry.

By talking to other residents, the deputy was able to determine where the child lives.

When they arrived at the child’s home, a 46-year-old man was spotted intoxicated on the back porch. He was barely able to stand up.

He nearly fell off the porch several times while the deputy was speaking to him.

The deputy asked the man if he knew where his son was and the man said he was in his bedroom. He did not realize the child had been gone from the house for about an hour, the report states.

The man said he had no idea where the child’s mother was and attempts to reach her by phone were unsuccessful.

The child was placed in DSS custody and the man was arrested for unlawful conduct towards a child.

Troubled teen returned to Conway

While on patrol on Blackgum Road in Pawleys Island at about 3:40 a.m. March 1, deputies were approached by a 17-year-old who asked them if they could give him a ride to Georgetown.

Deputies talked to his parents and they told them he had run away from the Lighthouse Care Center in Conway.

The officers contacted Horry County for assistance in transporting the teen back to the facility, but deputies from that county refused to participate in the transport, the report states.

A Georgetown County deputy made the drive to Conway.

When they arrived, the teen reportedly said if he was forced to stay, he would kill one of the kids in the facility.

An Horry County officer finally arrived and said she would contact DSS about the teen.

Victim of scam

An employee of the Wilco on Highway 17 Bypass in Murrells Inlet said she was the victim of a scam March 2.

The woman said she received a call from a man who identified himself as Tom who claimed to be from Wilco’s corporate office. He said he needed to fix a problem with phone cards inside the store.

“Tom” told the woman to ring up the cards as if he was a customer and then to give him the PIN numbers.

The woman told the man the PIN to $400 worth of phone cards.

It was later determined the man did not work for the company but his identity is still unknown.

Attempted theft at The Pig

An assistant manager of the Murrells Inlet Piggly Wiggly said a man in his 30s tried to take two 12 packs of Bud Light, three packs of steaks and two cakes from the store Feb. 13.

When workers saw the man walk out without paying, they followed him to the parking lot where he dumped the groceries on the ground from the buggy.

He then jumped in a waiting vehicle with a male driver. They fled the scene.

The shoplifting was caught on the store’s security cameras but the suspect has not been identified.

Information is subject to change as the investigation proceeds. Individuals arrested and/or charged have not been convicted.

— Compiled by Scott Harper