Williamston Man Gets 20 Years for Dollar General Robbery, Shooting

Thomas Britt Alewine will serve 20 years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to attempted murder and armed robbery for shooting a cashier at the Dollar General on Highway 252 in Belton. Judge Scott R. Sprouse handed down the sentence following Alewine's guilty plea in February. He will not be eligible for parole because both offenses are classified as violent and most serious under South Carolina law.

Anderson County Sheriff's deputies responded to the Belton store on February 19, 2025, after reports of an armed robbery and shooting. When they arrived, they found an employee who had been shot. Alewine had approached the cashier with a handgun and demanded money; as she was attempting to gather the cash, he shot her in the shoulder. He then grabbed money from the register and fled. The cashier was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The case broke open through surveillance. The Anderson County Sheriff's Office released images from the store's security cameras, and tips from the public led investigators to Alewine's home in Williamston. A search warrant executed on his home security system produced footage from the day of the robbery showing Alewine wearing the same clothing as the shooter. He confessed to investigators and was arrested. Lead investigator Cody Rhoads of the Anderson County Sheriff's Office received specific praise from 10th Circuit Solicitor Micah Black for his work on the case.

At his bond hearing in February 2025, Alewine told the court, "I don't even know what got into me."

Senior Assistant Solicitor Patti Ferguson prosecuted the case, with Victim Advocate Brenda Smith assisting. Elizabeth Chambers represented Alewine. Solicitor Black said in a statement: "Thomas Alewine will spend the next two decades behind bars for his senseless actions last year at the Belton Dollar General. We are thankful for law enforcement's quick actions that day in treating the victim and then ultimately apprehending the defendant in this case, and I pray that the victim will be able to continue to heal from the physical and emotional trauma this situation has caused her and her family."

The charges Alewine faced carried severe exposure: attempted murder in South Carolina carries a potential sentence of up to 30 years, while armed robbery carries a potential life sentence. His guilty plea resolved both counts simultaneously.

Alewine is a resident of Williamston, a town of roughly 3,600 people in Anderson County, about 15 miles from Belton. The 10th Circuit Solicitor's Office, which covers Anderson and Oconee counties, handled the prosecution. Dollar stores have become frequent targets for armed robbery across South Carolina, with employees particularly exposed when working in small crews or alone.