CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – The Surfside Beach man who broke into several homes in Surfside Beach and Murrells Inlet in 2015 pleaded guilty in court Tuesday.
The Fifteenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office say Allen Loring Atkins Jr., of Surfside Beach, pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree burglary and was sentenced to 15 years in prison on each count.
The sentences will run concurrently, said Senior Solicitor Stephen Grooms, who prosecuted the case. Atkins was suspected in numerous residential break-ins in the Surfside Beach and Murrells Inlet communities and was arrested on August 9, 2015 around 4:30 a.m. after leading officer on a police chase.
“Credit and thanks go to officers with the Surfside Beach Police Department, the Horry County Police Department, and the Myrtle Beach Police Department for working together to build a strong case,” Grooms said after the plea hearing.
Atkins must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole, Grooms said. If Atkins is convicted in the future of a serious crime he will qualify for a mandatory life in prison sentence.
