Just more than a week after closing the iconic Tybee Island bar they’d owned for years, a couple faces felony theft charges related to the vandalism of the former establishment.
Tybee Island Police and the Chatham County District Attorney’s Office on Thursday charged former Doc’s Bar owner Margaret “Peggy” Stone and her spouse, Robert Parker, with one count each of theft by taking, said Tybee police Capt. Joel Fobes, one of the investigators in the case.
Parker, 45, was arrested late Thursday and spent the night in the Chatham County jail. Stone, 51, surrendered to police and was booked into the jail about 2 p.m. Friday, jail records show.
Doc’s, which closed its Tybrisa Street doors in the early morning hours April 30 after 66 years of continuous operation, was found heavily vandalized the following day.
Parker, Fobes said, admitted his role in the vandalism.
“Mr. Parker said basically that he owned the business and felt that since the (property owner) wasn’t renewing the lease he wanted to make sure whoever comes into the property next couldn’t reopen without having to fix a lot of stuff,” Fobes said.
Inside the building, police found equipment, including an air conditioner missing, signs and memorabilia carelessly torn from the walls, and pipes, sinks and coolers damaged. Additionally, Fobes said, the establishment’s bar was sawed into three sections and several Doc’s Bar signs were removed.
Fobes said the lease on the building made it clear the property was leased to Stone and Parker as Doc’s Bar, indicating property within the building was owned by the property owner. Chatham County property records show Mola Chu Jung owns the property.
Jung could not immediately be reached for comment, but Fobes said the police investigation revealed she declined to offer a new lease to Stone and Parker because they were behind on rent.
The couple had struggled for the last two years to pay rent on time, the captain said. Additionally, they owed a substantial amount of money on property taxes and water bills.