CONWAY, S.C. (WBTW)- One of two men charged with a murder in a 2014 Aynor fire has been extradited to Horry County from North Carolina and booked at the J Reuben Long Detention Center.
Officials with the jail say Mitchell Cheatham was booked Saturday afternoon on murder, first degree arson, and first degree burglary charges for the case. No bail has been set for any of the charges.
Back in 2014, officers with the Horry County Police Department’s West Precinct responded to a home on Hwy. 501 in the Aynor. Charles Bryant Smith, 68, was found dead in the home. The county’s Major Crimes Unit determined the fire was intentional and the fire was ruled a homicide.
As a result of the investigation, two people were determined to be connected to the fire. Tommy Lee Benton and Mitchell Douglas Cheatham both from North Carolina were already in custody in North Carolina on unrelated charges.
According to Tabor City Police, Benton and Cheatham were involved in an armed robbery that occurred at a McDonalds in North Carolina earlier this week.
Police say that Benton and Chatham have both been charged with armed robbery and larceny of a motor vehicle in North Carolina.
The two men had to face the charges in North Carolina before they could be extradited to Horry County. The arrest warrants from Horry County state Benton and Cheatam beat Smith, retrained him inside the house while pouring gasoline on him and setting the victim on fire. They are both now officially charged with murder.
Kegler says officers were able to make the charges quickly with help of local residents in the community.
Kegler says police believe other suspects may be involved with the fire, however he would not say what information lead police to that conclusion. He would also not say if there were any motives for the crime.
The case remains open and the investigation continues.
