As economic times get tougher and tougher, more and more people get more and more desperate. And, according to local law enforcement officials, many more resort to stealing.

In the past week alone, the Anson County Sheriff's Office has seen four or five robberies, Sheriff Tommy Allen said. On Thursday, March 19, an unknown suspect robbed Whit's Convenience Store in Lilesville, pulling "a small black handgun" on a female clerk and forcing her to lie on the floor as he made his escape.

She was unharmed but store owner Steve Whitlock described the robbery as "devastating" to the community. That same day, Terry Windham of Ruby, S.C., robbed the Rost Veit's Convenience Store, formerly known as the Old White Store, in the southern portion of the county. He led police on a three-hour manhunt through a wooded area before being captured and arrested. He'd also robbed two other stores in Chesterfield County, S.C., just the night before.

And those are just two of the "more spectacular" robberies the county has seen in recent weeks, Sheriff Allen said.

"We have definitely seen an increase in robberies, break-ins and such over the last few months," he said. "Certainly, as the economy goes down, crime goes up."

Wadesboro town manager John Witherspoon also talked about the recent rise in burglaries during last Thursday's meeting of the Anson Economic Development Corporation. Witherspoon, like Sheriff Allen, said the increase in these crimes could probably be attributed to the economy.

He reported that in addition to the high-profile convenience store robberies, an unknown suspect had also taken a ton of barbed wire from the Tractor Supply Company in Wadesboro. "They took their time," he said. "They had to load it up into a truck and probably had help."

The sheriff cautions citizens to be more vigilant and aware of their surroundings— but not to panic. "The biggest thing is to be aware of your surroundings," he said. "Be careful, be alert— especially at night. That's when most of these robberies are happening."

New Wadesboro Police Chief Janie Schutz said in an interview last week that she hopes to organize a community watch/policing group to help combat such problems as robberies and thefts. "I really want to play it up that this is not just a police department problem," she said. "As officers, we can't do it alone."

But Chief Schutz said she also has faith that the community will come through this rough spell just fine. "This county and this town really have the heart to endure whatever it is they have to endure during the negative times, bond together and make things work."