Dalzell man arrested for Dairy Cream arson

Gina Vasselli / The Item Lewis Jenkins Jr., 33, of 3200 Deer Track Circle has been arrested and faces one count of arson in connection with the fire at the Dairy Cream, seen above, Sumter Police Chief Patty Patterson said.

Dairy Cream reopens to success, support

By GINA VASSELLI
Item Staff Writer
gvasselli@theitem.com

A 33-year-old Dalzell man has been arrested and charged with the recent arson of a local eatery.

Lewis Jenkins Jr. of 3200 Deer Track Circle has been arrested and faces one count of arson in connection with the fire of the Dairy Cream on Broad Street, Sumter Police Chief Patty Patterson said.

According to the chief, a search and arrest warrant were issued for Jenkins on Saturday but weren't served until Tuesday. A bond hearing was scheduled for 8 a.m. today at the Sumter-Lee Correctional Center.

Patterson said there were materials left on the scene that were "incendiary in nature," which led to the suspected cause of the fire. She said the materials were from a local business, which police traced back to Jenkins. She said the search warrant was for materials related to the incident.

Officials said when police went to serve the warrants on Tuesday, Jenkins was taken into custody at his home. He and the business owner, Nevin Boykin, are associates, according to reports.

Patterson said the investigation is still ongoing and that she cannot release any more information at this time.

According to initial police reports, an officer was driving past the Dairy Cream at 267 Broad St. early in the morning on Saturday. The officer saw the inside of the structure on fire and called the fire department.

Firefighters arrived on the scene about 4:30 a.m. and, according to police reports, determined that the fire had been set intentionally. The fire caused at least $20,000 in damage, according to police reports.

The Dairy Cream had been closed since February and had reopened Friday. It was open from 2 p.m. until about midnight.