Serious Charges Against Suspects Arrested Early This Week in Oconee County

On Monday, Leon Brooks Jr., 53, of Greenville, was arrested on four charges, including grand larceny, after a car chase through Oconee County. He faces charges of shoplifting, grand larceny, first-degree assault, and failing to stop for a blue light. Held at Oconee County Detention Center, his bonds total $60,440. The chase began when deputies stopped a silver Acura MDX at a Walmart in Seneca. Brooks, initially a passenger, tried to flee in the vehicle, dragging a deputy along before speeding away. The pursuit ended on Bulwinkle Drive, where Brooks surrendered.

And, in an unrelated case, on Tuesday, the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jason Heath Berry, 45, after he sold a stolen 2023 Griffin Dump trailer. The trailer, reported stolen to the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, was found on Richland Creek Drive in Oconee County and returned to the owner. During a traffic stop on Highway 123, deputies also found 18.47 grams of meth in Berry’s white Chevrolet Silverado. Berry, who became ill and was taken to the hospital, is now held at the Oconee County Detention Center on charges of receiving stolen goods and trafficking methamphetamine.