Owner offers $5k reward for information

The owner of the old St. Luke’s Hospital, known as the Jervey Palmer building in Tryon says he is being robbed blind before he can renovate the property to help the community.
Jerry Thomas purchased the Jervey Palmer building from Polk County last year and in the last few months the building has been broken into numerous times, with metal and copper ripped from the ceilings and tools, appliances, air conditioning units, electrical and plumbing and other items and supplies being stolen. There have also been several occasions of persons vandalizing the building by painting graffiti on the walls, spraying fire extinguishers and doing general destruction to the property.
Thomas said they have ripped air conditioning units out of the windows and taken everything, including his prize collection of deer head mounts and his personal tools that they can carry out.
Thomas says he’s probably looking at it costing him $150,000 to replace everything that has been stolen.
“Once they started hitting, they hit hard,” said Thomas.
The thieves wrote Thomas a note in the upstairs office using Thomas’ pen, which Thomas said was a slap in his face.
He believes many of the hits have occurred during the day and said the types of items being stolen aren’t leaving the property in the back of a car, but some type of truck.
He is offering a $5,000 reward for any information that leads to a conviction.
Thomas says he’s trying to do something good for the community. He has plans to renovate the upstairs of the building to be used as a reception hall for community events. Thomas said his main concern with the illegal activity going on in the building is that young people are going to get killed. He said there are serious criminals breaking in to steal metal and copper to sell and they could be in there at the same time kids break in for vandalism.
“I’ve already got people coming in here every other night and say I’m sitting here with a shotgun and waiting for them and it’s a couple of kids coming in,” Thomas said. “They don’t understand how dangerous it is.”
There have been six arrests in the case so far, according to the Tryon Police Department.
Nita Michelle Plumley, 41, of Columbus, was arrested and charged with felony breaking and entering after being discovered by Tryon officers at the building, according to police reports. Plumley told officers she entered through an open window and was interested in getting mattresses that had been left by a dumpster outside. Officers found her on the property after noticing a suspicious 1999 green Chevy Malibu at the property on May 7.
On May 14, officers were patrolling the building and saw three suspects and later found two more inside the building, according to police reports.
Andrew Christopher Morris, 18, of Mill Spring; Harley Jesse Foy, 18, of Mill Spring; Jess Mumin Kirayoglu, 18, of Landrum; Joshua Allen Case, 18, of Tryon and one juvenile were all charged with burglary-non-forced entry and criminal damage to property (vandalism), according to police reports.
“We are investigating the burglaries at this time,” said Tryon Police Chief Jeff Arrowood. “Since the owner has reported the break-ins we have increased patrols and surveillance on his property, which has led to the arrest of six individuals. If the public has any information concerning the break-ins and thefts please contact the Tryon Police Department at 828-859-9151.”