Man claims house he purchased has been gutted

A Greer man claims $60,000 in furniture and appliances has gone missing in the two years since he last lived in his house.

Philip Alan Richards, 38, of Greer, filed a malicious property damage incident report Friday with the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office. The damage was reported to police at 5 p.m. and involves a 120 West Court Drive residence in Chesnee.

Richards told police he was involved in a divorce with a 45-year-old Chesnee woman over the past two years, according to the incident report. Richards said his ex-wife was allowed to remain in the home until it was sold by the court system.

Richards told police that he purchased the house at an auction recently, thinking the residence was still in the same condition when he last saw it in 2006.

Richards claims the house has been almost completely gutted of new construction, according to the incident report. Several new electrical fixtures have been replaced by old fixtures, the incident report states. The air conditioning unit, heat pump and water heaters are missing from the residence, the report claims.

Richards told police he has pictures of how the West Court Drive residence looked in 2006 and after he went back after the purchase.

In the incident report, Cherokee County Sheriff's Office deputy Dane Garrick estimated $60,000 in furniture is missing from the residence.

The incident is being investigated by the sheriff's office.