Kaleb Thomas Besancon, aged 19, of Lexington, recently pleaded guilty on January 24, 2024, to serious charges in Lexington County. This includes one count of Armed Robbery and one count of Burglary Second Degree Violent stemming from separate incidents. Circuit Court Judge William P. Keesley oversaw the guilty plea and handed down a substantial sentence. Besancon received twenty (20) years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections for the armed robbery, and an additional ten (10) years for burglary, with these sentences to run consecutively, resulting in a total of thirty (30) years in prison.
Armed robbery is considered a violent and no-parole offense under South Carolina law. The charges against Besancon stem from two incidents. On November 13, 2022, he entered a Circle K on Augusta Highway in West Columbia, wearing a mask and armed with a firearm. During this incident, he pointed the gun at the cashier, stole money from the cash register, and took vape pens. Besancon was detained by a Lexington County Sheriff’s Department deputy shortly after fleeing the store, with the stolen money, vape pens, and a fully-loaded firearm in his possession.
Despite being arrested, Besancon posted bond on February 15, 2023. While out on bond, on June 5, 2023, Besancon, along with two co-defendants, committed a residential burglary in Lexington. They were masked and armed with firearms, forcefully kicking in a door and fleeing the scene in a silver Dodge Charger. The victim’s doorbell camera captured the incident. Responding deputies attempted to stop the Dodge Charger, which fled at high speed and later collided. Besancon and his co-defendants were apprehended in the woods by deputies, who recovered a firearm.
Assistant Solicitor Ashley Wellman successfully advocated for the revocation of Besancon’s bond during an emergency hearing. These cases were investigated by the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, and Besancon is now slated for transportation to the South Carolina Department of Corrections to commence his sentence.
