BOILING SPRINGS TEEN RECEIVES 15-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE FOR CRIME SPREE

A Boiling Springs teen received a 15-year prison sentence today after he admitted to doing a drive-by shooting and a burglary over the span of two days.

Jeffrey Bean, 17, pleaded guilty to three counts of assault and battery with intent to kill and second-degree burglary.

On July 19, 2006, Bean and two other people drove to the 1200 block of Fairview Church Road and started shooting an assault rifle into the surrounding homes. Three people sitting in a near-by car sustained non life-threatening injuries in the gunfire.

A co-defendant, Brady Rhodes, 19, of Boiling Springs, pleaded guilty to three counts of assault and battery with intent to kill in June. Sentencing was deferred pending the outcome of Bean’s case, Assistant Solicitor Ryan McCarty said.

The next day, Bean and three other people attempted to break into the Highway 9 shopping center that houses Southern Sportsman, Weichert Realty and Primrose Galleries. After successfully gaining entry into one of the businesses, an alarm sounded and the burglars fled. Spartanburg County sheriff’s deputies used the store’s video surveillance to identify Bean as a suspect. Bean admitted his involvement in the crimes during an interview with deputies. Charges are still pending against the three co-defendants in the burglary.