ROCK HILL, SC — A neighborhood living in fear as a vandal damages homes and vehicles.
People in a Rock Hill subdivision say a new neighbor is behind the mayhem, and the alleged offender is a longtime law man.
Tashona Goff says she was in her home on Hyacinthia Lane in Rock Hill the night of June 6th when she heard popping noises. She says her neighbor across the street was shooting something at her house, and shattered the glass front door. When Goff went outside, the situation escalated.
“When he came out of his front door… ‘Neighbor, neighbor are you okay?’ I said, ‘What the hell do you mean am I okay? You broke my damn door.’ And he tried to come on my property. I pulled my gun and said I will blow your ass away if you come on my property,” says Goff.
John Cauthen, the former Lancaster County sheriff, lives in the house across the street. Neighbors say he shot out that glass front door with a slingshot, marbles and pellet. They also say there has been other strange behavior as well.
“I actually stepped out one day and the neighbors were going at it, because supposedly something had happened,” says neighbor Christopher Potts. “And then I just heard that he was looking behind people’s houses and what not.”
Cauthen turned himself in Thursday. He’s charged with one count of malicious damage to property and one count of damage to personal property. He has not admitted to the crimes.
Another neighbor filed a police report saying Cauthen cracked the windshield of her car.
We talked to one woman who was too frightened to appear on camera. She says she caught Cauthen near the woods behind her house, where he was smoking and looking through her windows. When she asked what he was doing, she says the former sheriff told her he was hunting coons.
The erratic behavior is shaking up the street.
“I haven’t had any problems. You know he’s been nice to me. I’ve kind of noticed things, and I guess once everything started to happen, more of the neighbors kept an eye on things,” says Potts.
Cauthen was back at home this afternoon, but did not answer his door or the telephone number listed on the police report.
