CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – A North Carolina man was sentenced to 20 years in prison after he was convicted of first degree burglary for an incident that occurred during Memorial Day weekend 2013 in Myrtle Beach.
Dominique J. Garrison will spend 20 years in jail after robbing two people who were visiting Myrtle Beach from Ireland.
Garrison was one of five men charged following an incident at 3 a.m. May 27, 2013, at the Lazy G Motel in Myrtle Beach, said Assistant Solicitor Joshua D. Holford. Two other men previously pleaded guilty to armed robbery charges in the incident and one of the men testified against Garrison during the trial, which began Monday at the Horry County Justice Center.
Holford said the quick actions of officers with the Myrtle Beach Police Department resolved the case during a busy weekend in the city.
“The Myrtle Beach Police Department did a phenomenal job responding within minutes and tracking down the suspects,” Holford said. “We are happy that the third defendant in the case who directly robbed and threatened the victims has been convicted and justice was served.”
The two victims, who had arrived in the city three days prior to the incident, were from Ireland and in their motel room when they were robbed at gunpoint, Holford said. Their laptops, passports, cellphones and cash were stolen by the three men.
The victims also told police the men discussed killing them since they had seen the faces of the defendants, Holford said.
Officers received a description of Garrison vehicle, and stopped it a short time later to find Garrison in the rear seat with his co-defendants, John Johnson and Derrick Bowser, Holford said. Various stolen items were found inside the vehicle and they were linked to the robbery and a separate robbery, which had occurred at another nearby motel that weekend.