A Salem man had a warrant issued for his arrest Thursday in connection to a Tuesday burglary and being found in the Dent County Judicial Building with a bag of meth in his pocket, according to documents filed in circuit court.
Dennis Loughridge, 28, is charged with felony counts of second degree burglary, stealing $750 or more and possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine). Loughridge’s bond was set at $50,000 cash only. The Dent County Sheriff’s Office reports Loughridge was in custody and incarcerated as of Friday morning.
A deputy with the Dent County Sheriff’s Office reported Tuesday that a residence on County Road 5070 was burglarized and $930 in property stolen, according to the case's probable cause report. The items taken include a PlayStation 4, two controllers, a television cord and seven video games. The deputy noted tire tracks led away from the scene to a downed fence on the west side of the property.
The following day the burglary victim posted a photo online identifying a SUV which was witnessed being previously stuck in a field at the location the tire tracks were later observed. The information led to the identification of two individuals who had helped pull the vehicle out of the field. Those subjects told investigators Loughridge perpetrated the burglary after the SUV was pulled out of the field. One of the subjects reported they became stuck in the field after they “ran from Loughridge’s mom.”
On Thursday, a deputy was informed Loughridge was above the sheriff’s office in the Dent County Judicial Building for a meeting with his parole officer. After being found in the building’s bathroom, Loughridge agreed to an interview in the sheriff’s office. A subsequent search of his person found he was in possession of a bag of a crystalline substance which field-tested positive for methamphetamine.
The report states Loughridge arrived at the judicial building in a maroon Ford Explorer. It further states he denied committing the burglary multiple times during an interview with the deputy.
