DNA evidence links man to 2 February armed robberies in Beaufort, police say
Newly obtained DNA evidence has linked two February armed robberies in Beaufort, leading to charges against a Beaufort man for the armed robbery of a flower nursery in Beaufort.
Andrew Brown, 37, was already being held at the Beaufort County Detention Center on Wednesday in connection with an earlier armed robbery charge when police found evidence of his DNA from the nursery, according to Maj. Angela Viens, a spokesperson for the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. He now faces two counts of armed robbery: one from the Feb. 17 robbery at the nursery, and another from a Feb. 22 robbery at a Dollar General store in Beaufort, the second of which led to his immediate arrest.
The Feb. 17 robbery occurred at R&M Nursery LLC. in Beaufort, where employees reported a man robbed them of $700 at gunpoint before fleeing from the store. No one was injured.
The second robbery occurred five days later at the Boundary Street Dollar General in Beaufort. Approaching the counter, Brown claimed he had a gun and demanded the contents of the register. After attacking the cashier and fleeing the scene, Brown was found and arrested by police, according to a Facebook post from the Beaufort Police Department on Feb. 23.
A bond hearing for Brown is scheduled for Thursday morning, Viens said. His new bond will include both counts of armed robbery.
Brown was still in custody at the Beaufort County Detention Center as of Wednesday afternoon, according to Viens.
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