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Was golden disguise a death mask?

2009 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

Was golden disguise a death mask?

2 men with painted faces robbed a store recently; 1 has died, possibly from paint fumes By RICK BRUNDRETT - rbrundrett@thestate.com

They apparently thought they could hide their identities by spray-painting their faces gold, Richland County sheriff’s deputies said.

But one of two men who targeted the Sprint PCS store on Sparkleberry Lane last month died a short time after the armed robbery — possibly from the paint fumes, deputies said Friday.

Deputies identified the dead robber as Thomas James, 23. His last known address was in Columbia, court records show.

“It’s the damnedest one I’ve ever had in 34 years,” Sheriff Leon Lott told The State on Friday. “We’ve had robbers paint their faces before, but we’ve never had one die as a result of that.”

Lott said while deputies think the duo deliberately painted their faces, it’s also possible James and his alleged accomplice, Michael Gregory Thomas, 23, of Columbia, might have been inhaling the spray paint before the robbery to get high — commonly known as huffing — and as a result, got paint on their faces.

Thomas had some gold paint on his chin — not nearly as much as was on James’ face, said department spokeswoman Sgt. Kim Myers. Thomas also had worn a stocking cap during the robbery, she said.

Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said Friday his office won’t know the cause of James’ death until it receives the results of toxicology tests.

“We don’t have any cause of death on him right now,” he said.

Watts wasn’t aware of the case when contacted initially Friday by The State.

Lott said in a prepared statement Friday that Thomas and James entered the store at 1131-B Sparkleberry Lane about 7 p.m. on July 31 and demanded money at gunpoint. They forced five employees into a bathroom before fleeing with their wallets, purses and credit cards, he said.

Thomas reportedly panicked after James began having trouble breathing in the getaway car immediately after the robbery, Myers said. Thomas drove James around, calling various people, she said, though she couldn’t provide details.

James eventually was taken to a Columbia hospital, where he died, Myers said, though neither she nor Watts knew exactly when or where he died.

No reason was given about why the department waited three weeks to release the news of James’ death.

Thomas was arrested Monday on a charge of armed robbery and booked at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, the release said, though jail records indicated he wasn’t there Friday.

State Law Enforcement Division records show Thomas has no prior record. James pleaded guilty in 2004 to unlawful carrying of a pistol in Columbia, SLED and court records show.

“It seems like they were rookies at being robbers, but (James) won’t be proving himself to be a veteran,” Lott said. “Justice gets served in interesting ways sometimes.”

Reach Brundrett at (803) 771-8484.

Submitted on 08/22/2009

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference: The State 8/22/09

Copyright © 2009 DarwinAwards.com

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