Five-ton HVAC unit was stolen & man trying to sell it on Facebook is arrested, SC cops say

A South Carolina man was recently arrested for trying to sell an HVAC unit on Facebook after the 10,000-pound air conditioner was stolen from a senior center, according to the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office .

Michael Dennis Eagerton, a 27-year-old St. Stephen resident, was charged with receiving stolen goods after being arrested during an undercover sting , the sheriff’s office said Monday in a news release.

The five-ton Daikin Heat Pump air condition unit was reported stolen from the Berkeley County Senior Center located at 1264 Russellville Road , according to the release. That’s in St. Stephen, about 50 miles north of Charleston in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, and its mission is to assist the older residents of Berkeley County , according to the facility’s website.

There was no word if any of the senior residents suffered because of hot conditions while the air conditioner was missing.

Investigators said the stolen air condition unit was listed on Facebook Marketplace , and undercover detectives contacted the seller who was initially identified as “Muchael Eagerton,” and later confirmed to be Michael Eagerton, the sheriff’s office said.

Eagerton agreed to meet with the undercover buyer on July 10, and deputies responded to the scene of the sale where they found the stolen air condition unit, according to the release.

The unit was recovered and Eagerton was taken to the Hill-Finklea Detention Center , the sheriff’s office said.

Court records show a $20,000 bond was set and posted July 11, and Eagerton is not currently listed on the Berkeley County jail’s inmate roster.

Eagerton has a prior criminal history and has been arrested at least 11 times since 2014, according to the release. He’s been charged with shoplifting, simple possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of burglary tools, breaking into motor vehicles, violation of traffic ordinance, license plate violations, second-degree burglary, probation violations, distribution of methamphetamine and furnishing contraband, the sheriff’s office said.

Eagerton has pleaded guilty to multiple charges, according to Berkeley County court records.

When he was most recently taken into custody, Eagerton was out on a $2,125 bond following a June 24 arrest when he was charged with malicious injury to personal property, court records show.

In the release, the sheriff’s office shared the hashtags:

▪ #WeHeardOfTakingCandyFromABaby

▪ #ButWhoStealsFromTheElderly

▪ #ThatsReallyMessedUp