ANDERSON COUNTY, S.C. —Two teens have been accused of using modified fireworks to cause "major damage" to a church parking lot in South Carolina.Around 11 p.m. on Dec. 22, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call about teenagers detonating explosives and performing burnouts in the parking lot of Mount Pisgah Baptist Church in Easley.When deputies arrived, they found altered fireworks actively burning in the parking lot, along with extensive tire marks in the grass an...
ANDERSON COUNTY, S.C. —
Two teens have been accused of using modified fireworks to cause "major damage" to a church parking lot in South Carolina.
Around 11 p.m. on Dec. 22, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call about teenagers detonating explosives and performing burnouts in the parking lot of Mount Pisgah Baptist Church in Easley.
When deputies arrived, they found altered fireworks actively burning in the parking lot, along with extensive tire marks in the grass and on the asphalt.
After the fire department extinguished the flames, deputies noticed a charred crater measuring approximately 35 inches by 40 inches in the middle of the parking lot, along with debris consistent with an explosion.
Deputies said the damage to the church property was significant and costly.
According to WYFF News 4's Photographer Kyle Clardy, it appears that the "crater" has been paved over since the incident happened.
Detectives talked with people who live nearby, which led to the identification of the teens involved as Hayden Cothran and Blake Yeargin, who are both 18 years old.
The investigation revealed that Cothran was the primary individual responsible for performing burnouts on church property, causing damage to multiple parking lots and fields belonging to the church.
Witnesses also reported that Cothran, along with Yeargin and an unnamed juvenile, were involved in detonating the altered fireworks.
The sheriff's office said because the fireworks had been modified with an accelerant and no longer functioned as manufactured or intended, they were deemed illegal to possess or manufacture.
Due to the detonation happening on church property, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad were notified and assisted with the investigation.
Deputies announced Cothran and Yeargin's arrests on Jan. 2.
Cothran was charged with the following:
Yeargin was charged with possession, manufacture, or transportation of a destructive device or explosive with intent to cause damage or injury, which is a felony.