Oconee County Sheriff’s Office Arrests Walhalla Man on First Degree Burglary Charge

An early Tuesday morning break-in of a residence near Westminster has led to a charge of First Degree Burglary against a Walhalla man.

26 year old Hugo Mateo Severo-Bautista of Keowee Street was booked into the Oconee County Detention Center around 4:29am Tuesday. Severo-Bautista has also been charged with one count of Petit Larceny.

Deputies from the Uniform Patrol Bureau were dispatched around 3:34am Tuesday to an address on S. Highway 11 near the Oconee Industry and Technology Park in regards to reports of a burglary. Upon arriving at the residence, deputies made contact with Severo-Bautista, who told deputies that his vehicle ran out of gas and he left it in the parking lot of a  Walhalla business. He also told deputies that he walked down Highway 11 and then made entry into the residence where he took a can of soda and some watermelon because he was thirsty and hungry.

The homeowners told deputies that Severo-Bautista had spoken to them inside of their home and they had asked him to leave. Severo-Bautista left the home and stood outside, where law enforcement placed him under arrest and transported him to jail.

At this time, Severo-Bautista remains in custody at the Detention Center pending a bond hearing.