BUFFALO — Authorities are investigating what appears to be two break-ins at the old Her Majesty/Greenleaf building, one of them occurring less than three hours after investigators left the premises.

Union County Sheriff David Taylor said that someone broke into the building on S.C. 215 Tuesday night. Deputies were dispatched to the scene and searched the building but found no one. Taylor said investigators left the building around 11 a.m. and the alarm system was reset. He said around 1:30 p.m. the alarm went off again.

Deputies were again dispatched to the building and conducted a search, sweeping it three times. Taylor said bloodhounds were brought in from Cherokee County to search the building and surrounding area, but were unable to catch the scent of the thief or thieves.

A search of the area did, however, turn up a Ford Taurus parked in the rear ballfield of the adjacent Dixie Youth sports complex. The vehicle was impounded and towed away as part of the investigation. The owner of the vehicle has not been determined.

Taylor said a inventory of the items stolen from the building has not been completed but he believes that the motive of the thief or thieves was copper theft. He said a list of the items and their estimated cost will be released once the inventory is complete. The investigation is continuing.