Three people have been sentenced in the case of an armed robbery and killing of a store owner in Loris.
According to a press release from Sherri A. Lydon, United States Attorney for the District of South Carolina, Jonathan Stefan Vanderhorst, Jim Tracy Miller, and Demetrius Altman were sentenced in the case.
Vanderhorst, 23, of Tabor City, North Carolina, was sentenced to 55 years for his convictions of conspiring to commit Hobbs Act robbery, Hobbs Act Robbery, felon in possession of ammunition, and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, according to the release.
Miller, 28, of Tabor City, was sentenced to about 22 years and Altman, 39, also of Tabor City, was sentenced to 14 years for violations of conspiring to commit Hobbs Act robbery and Hobbs Act robbery, the release says.
“The evidence presented at the guilty plea and sentencing hearings established that on May 3, 2016, Altman drove Miller and Vanderhorst to rob the Clarendon, NC Post Office,” states the release. Upon arriving, Altman waited in the vehicle and Miller and Vanderhorst entered the post office. Vanderhorst “jumped the counter, brandished a firearm, and struck the post office clerk,” who was the only occupant of the post office. Vanderhorst and Miller stole $284 and the clerk’s cell phone and left in Altman’s vehicle.
On May 16, 2016, Altman drove Miler and Vanderhorst from Tabor City to Loris, South Carolina “to rob the Loris Market and Beverage store,” according to the release. Altman stayed in the vehicle and Vanderhorst and Miller entered the store. The only occupants of the store were the owners, a husband and wife, who were both working behind the checkout counter. After entering, Vanderhorst fired a shot at the female victim, missing her. Vanderhorst then approached the counter and fired another shot into the ceiling. The store owner took money out of the register and passed it to Vanderhorst, who took the money and handed it to Miller. Vanderhorst then turned and fired two shots, “striking and ultimately killing the store owner.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Horry County Police Department, and Loris City Police Department, according to the release. The case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project CeaseFire initiative, “which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases.”
