Man wanted for stealing gun from York County golf club, deputies say

ROCK HILL, S.C. — Deputies are looking for a man accused of stealing a gun from a golf club Wednesday.

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Matthew Scott Brown, who was released from jail Tuesday, is accused of stealing a gun from Pinetuck Golf Club the next day, the York County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday night.

At first, deputies believed he was barricading himself in a nearby house, but around 12:15 a.m. Thursday, authorities said they were leaving the area because they didn’t find Brown.

Officers have just launched a second drone into the air. You can see the lights blinking from it in this video. @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/60wooga4Sz
— Coleman J. Montgomery (@colemanreports) April 13, 2023

At about 9 p.m. Wednesday, the sheriff said deputies responded to a barricaded subject on Tuckaway Road in Rock Hill.

At about 10 p.m., the sheriff said negotiators were on the scene and the road was blocked near the Pinetuck Golf Club. A Channel 9 crew saw deputies in tactical gear and drones in the air.

Brown is wanted for second-degree burglary and petty larceny.

Rock Hill resident Jeff Denton hopes the drama that unfolded in his neighborhood will end soon.

“I would hope that they find him soon,” Denton said.

Gov. Henry McMaster and officials with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division are calling for tougher laws against criminals who are caught with illegal guns and for those who commit crimes while out on bond.

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“Law enforcement officers are repeatedly encountering armed repeat offenders across the state,” said Mark Keel at a news conference earlier this week.

Denton said he moved to Rock Hill to escape high crime and supports the call for reform.

“We lived in Washington state and crime became almost legal up there,” Denton told Channel 9. “You just don’t know what else he might do.”