Multiple Arrests

On April 20, 2018 Deputies with the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office arrested Michael Alan Ford at a location on Cheek Rd in Gray Court on outstanding warrants for Grand Larceny of a motor vehicle and Criminal Conspiracy. During his arrest he was in possession of a stolen F-150 truck. The truck was taken from a residence on Hwy 101 in Gray Court on April 18, 2018. Mr. Ford was also in possession of approximately one gram of methamphetamine at the time of his arrest. He was charged with possession with intent to distribute meth in relation to the drugs. Investigators later obtained another warrant on Mr. Ford for Breaking into a Motor Vehicle. This was in relation to an incident in which Mr. Ford attempted to steal a vehicle from a residence on Durbin Rd in Fountain Inn on April 14, 2018. The homeowner at this residence was able to scare him away from the vehicle before he could take it.

Kristen English Clark was also arrested at the residence on Cheek Rd. She was charged with Grand Larceny of a Motor Vehicle, Possession with intent to distribute meth, and breaking into a motor vehicle. Investigators were able to determine that Mrs. Clark was with Mr. Ford during their crime spree.

During the investigation, investigators were able to obtain a search warrant for a residence on Nash Street in Fountain Inn. Upon serving the search warrant at this residence, investigators seized approximately 62 grams of meth, ten firearms, and more than $6,000.00 cash. Jonathan Chad Ritchie and Selina Haven Sterling were arrested on scene and charged with Trafficking Methamphetamine 28 grams or more and possession of 28 grams or less of marijuana. Jonathan Ritchie was also charged with possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

Mr. Ford was arrested in 2017 after a vehicle pursuit for being in possession of a stolen vehicle, along with other charges. According to the Solicitors Office he has plead guilty to some of these charges but has not been sentenced at this time.

Sheriff Don Reynolds had the following statement regarding these arrests: “Hopefully these criminals will serve a significant prison sentence this time. If they end up back on the streets there is no doubt we’ll be dealing with them again. As you can see with Mr. Ford, within a year of his release we are putting him back in jail for committing the same types of crimes. This is frustrating to law enforcement and it’s even more frustrating to honest, hardworking, and law abiding citizens who have their property stolen by repeat offenders. I would like to commend the investigators who worked on this. They worked tirelessly to put these people behind bars where they belong. Not only did they get the thieves, they also got a drug pusher off the streets. That’s one less drug pusher in Laurens County who can poison our communities with meth and other illegal narcotics. This case is a prime example of how drugs and theft go hand in hand and this type of criminal activity will not be tolerated in Laurens County.”