COLUMBIA, SC (WBTW) – The three men accused of an armed takeover of the South State Bank in North Myrtle Beach on May 4, 2016, have been federally indicted.
United States Attorney Beth Drake says Justin Pressley and Rodrick Berklery, both 26-years-old of Little River, and Lance Hardiman, 25, of Longs, were charged in an 8-count federal indictment arising from the armed robbery of the North Myrtle Beach bank and the subsequential high-speed chase and exchange of gunfire with police officers.
Hardiman, Pressley, and Berklery were charged with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, two counts of use and discharge of a firearm during a violent crime, obstruction of justice/witness tampering, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Hardiman and Pressley were also charged with felon in possession of a firearms counts. The maximum penalty for the crimes, according to the United States Attorney’s office, is a life sentence, and if the men are convicted of the two counts of using and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime, the defendants face a mandatory 35 years, consecutive to all other sentences.
The case was investigated by agents of the FBI, North Myrtle Beach Police Department, SLED, and Horry County Police Department.
The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorneys Jim May and JD Rowell of the Columbia office, as well as Special Assistant United States Attorney Scott Hixson from the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office for prosecution.