WARRENVILLE, S.C. — An Aiken man accused of stealing the ashes of his ex-girlfriend's mother has been arrested and now faces desecration and burglary charges.
According to an incident report from the Aiken County Sheriff's Office, a deputy responded to Augusta Road in Warrenville on Tuesday where they spoke with the suspect's ex-girlfriend who said she had left her home the previous evening to visit a friend.
However, around 5:30 a.m. the next morning she received a call from the suspect, Jackson Rutland, who allegedly told her that she'll need to check her house and, according to the police report, "that he used some of her mom's ashes to get heroin."
She returned home that day to find the frame around her rear door broken and her home "ransacked." The victim said she noticed her mom's ashes had been disturbed and some were on the floor.
The responding deputy said the substance on the ground was "consistent with ashes."
The victim, who said she had previous issues with her ex breaking in, said she wished to press charges against him. The sheriff's department ultimately secured warrants for second-degree burglary and desecration of human remains against Rutland who was arrested on Thursday.
