SWAT called to burned home of South Congaree landlord

SOUTH CONGAREE, S.C. (WIS) - Thursday afternoon a SWAT team was deployed to the burnt home of a South Congaree landlord.

The South Congaree Police Department said two people were reported inside the home of Naomi Halter. The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department SWAT team was called in to assist with the investigation.

Investigators said no one was in the home after a search but did release photos of suspects.

The photos appear to show both suspects armed with guns.

South Congaree Police Chief Josh Shumpert said surveillance cameras alerted his officers around 11:20 a.m., and officers were on the scene three minutes later. He said the suspects must have left in the interim period.

“We obviously are going to take some precautions for that, we called out the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department SWAT team,” he said.

In October, Halter’s house was burned, days after an investigative report about the conditions of her tenants in mobile homes. The incident report of the fire called it ‘suspicious.’ It claimed firefighters had found large amounts of unsecured cash in the home and that Halter suspected someone had set fire to her home deliberately.

The cause of the fire is undetermined.

Shumpert said the home has had a problem with people trespassing and stealing property since it burned. He reported nine arrests tied to burglary at the location.

“My message is, as you see today if you get caught in there you’re going to go to jail. These burglary charges are serious charges, they’re serious felonies,” he said.

He said the property is on a “fast track” for demolition. He said he doesn’t have all the details, but his understanding is insurance hurdles have gotten in the way.

Halter’s attorney has not returned a request for comment.

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