Teen Robbed at Gunpoint

Parents Bob and Kanne Thibaudeau say the Martin Luther King Jr. pool in downtown Charleston is where the Southern Marlins swim team practices because it’s the only 50 meter pool in the area. But there’s a problem.

Kanne says, “Sometimes when they’re swimming, you can hear gunshots, you see police, and sometimes the police will chase someone across the parking lot. You see things going on all the time.”

And now that problem’s become personal after Bob and Kanne’s daughter Sarah had a frightening encounter.

“I drove up and there was no one in the parking lot. And I parked and there were some guys walking around, but then one came up to the car, and he had a gun.”

She says the men got into her car, and sped off when other team members arrived. Sarah’s friends Lindsay and Samantha didn’t even realize what was happening, but say they’re not surprised.

They said, “This past week there was a drug deal at the end of the street here at a house, and there were about four cops there. We watched the whole thing.”

Now neither girl feels safe while swimming, and that’s why Sarah’s parents are hoping police will step up their efforts to cut down the crime. Bob said, “We’d love to make it safe for all the kids in the area…they don’t need to have this hanging over their head.”

We wanted to know what police were planning on doing to help make the area safer. So we called the police department, and they say an officer will be at that pool for the next few days while the kids are swimming. In a few weeks they’ll reassess the situation. We also spoke with the director for parks and recreation who said they’ll also have a meeting with parents and police to discuss other options.