Lancaster County Deputies Charge Teens Accused Of Damaging Property With Slingshots

LANCASTER, SC — Authorities have charged two teenagers accused of using slingshots to damage property throughout several Lancaster County communities.

Dylan Farrell and Haven Mangum, both 17, were arrested Friday after investigators say they used slingshots to damage homes and vehicles in the Buford and Tradesville Communities. The crimes reportedly started in February and continued until the week of their arrest on April 12th.

Deputies say the damages included broken windows at several homes, glass doors and vehicle windshields.

The teens also dented three vehicles at a car dealership on Flat Creek Road, officials say, and broke front and rear windshields of several vehicles traveling along Pageland Highway.

In several of the crimes, investigators say they found small steel balls and pellets at the scene.

“While this might seem like prankish behavior by teenagers, we took it very seriously here at the sheriff’s office,” said Sheriff Barry Faile. “Although the damage was limited to property, someone could have been seriously injured or killed by the actions of these men. Metal pellets launched by a slingshot can cause injury, and anything fired at an occupied moving vehicle can cause the driver to lose control and crash. We have seen this occur many times in other places. I hope these two now realize that and have learned a lesson. I want to thank the citizens who reached out to us on Facebook to provide information that led to the closure of these cases.”

Farrell and Mangum are each charged with multiple counts of Malicious Injury to Personal Property under $2,000.