Police: Man found dead at scene of apparent lawn mower theft

A 55-year-old man was found dead this morning near the riding lawnmower he was suspected of stealing from a Hanahan home.

About 4:50 a.m., a newspaper delivery driver spotted the body of Robert Eugene Catchings of Summerville near East Lakeside Drive and Holly Street, according to an incident report from the Hanahan Police Department.

The red Snapper was atop two wooden blocks being used as a ramp to load the machinery into a green 1999 Ford F-150, the report stated. The mower was not pinning Catchings to the ground, but police Lt. Michael Fowler said it was possible that it had fallen on him.

It’s not known how Catchings died, but no foul play is suspected, the police said. Berkeley County Coroner Bill Salisbury had not released a cause of death Tuesday.

Police officers canvassed the area because of the “unusual circumstances” of Catchings’ death. They found an 81-year-old resident of Holly Court, who realized his mower had been stolen, the police said.

The lawn mower was valued at $500.

Catchings has a criminal record that mostly includes arrests from the 1990s. He was convicted of simple assault in 2009, receiving stolen goods in 1994, failure to pay taxes in 1995 and trafficking marijuana in 1996.

See news happening in your neighborhood? Send us your news tips, photos and videos by email to crimenews@postandcourier.com or call (843) 937-5581.