Horry County crime rates on record-breaking pace midway through the year, police chief says
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — Driven in part by a violent string of May crimes, Horry County crime rates are on a record-breaking track, Chief Kris Leonhardt told officials Tuesday.
Through the first quarter of 2025 that ended March 31, authorities took more than 121 pounds of drugs off the street, seized nearly $138,000 worth of assets, arrested 55 fugitives and took 59 firearms.
'Our officers are out there doing the work, getting things done, identifying folks and getting charges on these cases,' Leonhardt said.
Leonhardt said 10 known Blood gang members were also arrested after police broke up a crime ring in the Little River area earlier this year.
May was a particularly grueling month with a spate of high-profile incidents including a mass shooting in Little River, disciplinary action against several officers tied to the 2022 road rage death of Scott Spivey and multiple home invasions in the Conway area.
'Thank you for the great work that the Horry County Police Department's doing. You've had a lot of distractions the last couple of months. You've put up with a lot of crap, but I appreciate the great job,' council member Tom Anderson said. 'I think the gross majority of our police are professionals, and I'm on your team and in favor of you.'
Public safety administrator Randall Webster said events like Memorial Day weekend, motorcycle rallies and the Myrtle Beach Classic already require a heavier law enforcement presence, but over the past couple of years it's been even more of a challenge.
'The call volume is increasing every year, and the incident types are getting more severe each and every year,' he said.
Councilwoman Jenna Dukes said she's concerned about the crime spike and strain it has on law enforcement.
'May is getting bigger and bigger, like you said. And we did have a few incidents that could have went another direction. So as we move into next year, can we just take a deeper look at May and how it's affecting us, both manpower and financially,' she said. 'Honestly, I mean, people are exhausted.'
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Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here.
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Shelby Martin is a multimedia journalist who joined the News13 team in May 2025. Shelby is from Orange County, California, and graduated in 2023 from California State University, Fullerton. You can read more of her work here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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