Staff Writer

Officers received a tip Tuesday afternoon that led to the arrest of a Union man accused of shooting an acquaintance.

Capt. Gregg Pickens with the Union Public Safety Department said Michael Preston McClain was taken into custody on the Kelly Road without incident. McClain, 25, of 302 Toluca St. was booked into the Union County Jail around 7:45 p.m. He is charged with assault and battery with intent to kill.

Pickens said officers received information that McClain was a passenger in a vehicle on the Kelly Road.

Lt. John Sherfield, Sgt. Dee Haney and Deputy Randy Manus with the Union County Sheriff's Office and Investigator Mickey Parker, Sgt. Larry Robinson and PFC Curtis Eubanks with the public safety department converged on the area and stopped the vehicle.

Pickens said Lt. Charles Henderson was the lead investigator in the case and signed the warrant on McClain.

McClain is accused of shooting 25-year-old Mark Levi Lawter three times on Oak Street Sunday night.

Pickens said officers are investigating the circumstances behind the shooting.

Vandalism at proposed baseball museum

Someone has damaged the old Buffalo Mill office building again.

A report said Cpl. Scott Ruby met with county building maintenance director Bobby Bailey Tuesday after it was discovered someone had scratched graffiti on the brick outside and also scratched a window.

Neighbors reported seeing small children around the building over the weekend.

Damage was estimated at $350.

Earlier this month, someone threw a brick or a rock and broke a large glass pane out of one of the windows in the building and caused around $250 damage.

The county plans to develop the building into a textile baseball museum.

Theft

On 3088 River Road, a victim told Manus Tuesday that someone came onto his property and took a finishing mower worth $800. One of the arms of the mower was broken off when it was stolen.