Vandals throw Daufuskie Island ferry podium into water, break sign

Vandals threw a Lowcountry Ferry podium into the water and broke the service’s “Please Wait Here” sign in two separate June incidents, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Department report.

Lowcountry Ferry began running the public ferry service that goes back and forth from Hilton Head and Daufuskie islands at the beginning of 2024. Since it received the contract, residents have complained about its quality of service and prices. The ferry embarks from the public pier at C.C. Haigh, Jr. Boat Landing on Pinckney Island, off Fording Island Road.

Lowcountry Ferry employee Anthony Turner estimated the total damage to the metal podium and sign to be $800.

“Someone threw the podium in the river,” on June 7, according to the law enforcement interview with Turner, who estimated the podium is worth $500. Turner said in the interview he would “try to remove the podium at low tide.”

Seven days later, vandals snapped a $300 “Please Wait Here” sign in half, according to a separate law enforcement interview with Turner. He told the officer that the dock didn’t have cameras to capture the crime.

If found guilty, a perpetrator could be charged with a misdemeanor and be fined up to $1,000, imprisoned up to thirty days or both. Law enforcement hasn’t made an arrest or identified suspects of interest, according to Master Sgt. Danny Allen, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office.

He said there weren’t any witnesses or camera footage of the incidents.