2 weeks Ago
MONCKS CORNER — A man will stay in Berkeley County's jail as concerns mount that he may have killed someone shortly before a sexual assault reportedly occurred last year in Summerville. Ninth Circuit Judge Roger Young denied bail for Brandon Burbage on April 14 after prosecutors outlined the charge of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, and told the judge how sheriff investigators believe Burbage may be involved in the disappearance of Thomas Daniel Yates. Burbage has not been charged with murder .
Young, however, expressed concern about Yates' disappearance and the inability of law enforcement to locate him after almost a year. "I know he’s not charged with murder but the disturbing nature of the situation ..
. (and) it does appear he is a transient person," Young said. Yates is presumed dead, Berkeley County Sheriff Chief Deputy Jeremy Baker told The Post and Courier on April 16.
He said the investigation is active and ongoing but declined to comment further. The disappearance of Yates and the charged sexual assault both occurred on May 13, 2024, in a home near the Del Webb Nexton development in Summerville. Police said Burbage arrived at a woman's home to discuss home repairs she would pay him to make.
She told investigators Burbage propositioned her for sex, and she declined. She noticed then that he carried a revolver in his waistline, according to an arrest warrant. Burbage left but he returned later with another person, according to a May 2024 warrant.
That person was Yates, Assistant Solicitor Kamila Szymczynska-Sas said during the April 14 bond hearing. An argument ensued, she said. The warrant indicates the woman heard Burbage tell the other person to leave, at which point she locked herself in her bedroom.
Burbage, according to the warrant, yelled at her to not open the door. Time passed. Szymczynska-Sas said the woman heard what sounded like a struggle.
Police later found evidence of blood and signs of a struggle in the home. The woman told investigators Burbage then came to her bedroom door and demanded she open it. He sexually assault her at gun point, according to the arrest warrant.
Szymczynska-Sas said a State Law Enforcement Division analysis of evidence collected in a forensic DNA kit showed the presence of the victim's and Burbage's DNA. A redacted May 20, 2024, incident report about Yates' disappearances notes he was reported missing on May 15, 2024, and was last seen alive on May 13, 2024, — the day of the alleged assault. The missing person report notes that Yates is listed as an endangered missing person and his information was entered into a national online crime database.
But the report also notes the case was administratively closed and that no follow-up investigation was warranted. Two other local law enforcement agencies — North Charleston Police and Dorchester County Sheriff's Office — had no record of having received a request or notice about Yates' disappearance. Ninth Solicitor Scarlett Wilson deferred questions about Yates to law enforcement.
Burbage was arrested on May 21, 2024, in Dorchester County in the Old St. George area. He was charged with sexual assault in Berkeley County and with grand larceny in Dorchester County.
In Dorchester County, Burbage was arrested for stealing a black Lincoln Town Car and fleeing the area on May 17, 2024. The sheriff's incident report from that time notes Burbage was wanted in an active homicide investigation in Berkeley County. Burbage was first prosecuted in Dorchester County.
He pleaded guilty to grand larceny valued between $2,000 and $10,000. He was sentenced to a suspended sentence and probation in late October. He served 160 days in the Dorchester County jail before he was transferred to Berkeley County, where he is being held at the Hill-Finklea Detention Center Detention Center.
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