Arrest made in Adams break-in

ALBANY — Just a few hours after Albany businessman Jeff Sinyard called for the community’s help in finding out who had broken into his Adams Exterminators property on West Town Road and badly damaged four company vehicles over the holiday weekend, the Albany Police Department announced that it had a suspect in custody.

Phyllis Banks, a spokeswoman for APD, said that around 1:30 p.m Tuesday, 35-year-old Maurice Lofton had been arrested at his West Lincoln Avenue residence and charged with 13 counts of entering autos, including those that occurred at Adams over the Memorial Day Weekend.

“This is great news,” said Sinyard, upon learning of the arrest. “It is fantastic to see a hooligan off the streets. The hardworking families and businesses of Dougherty County are better off today than they were yesterday. I’ve heard they’re still looking for a second suspect and I’m looking forward hearing that they’ve arrested that one, too.”

Although Sinyard was not aware if any tips to Albany Crimestoppers had led to Lofton’s arrest, he was hoping that in the near future he would be making out a check to some deserving person.

“I don’t know if a tip was involved in the apprehension of the first suspect, but either way it was just good police work,” said Sinyard. “They have evidence to know that he was at our business. The second thief is still out there, and there is still an active reward, so people, please call Crimestoppers if you have any information.”

Sinyard, along with this sons, Stuart and Bridges Sinyard, had announced earlier Tuesday morning that the company was offering a $3,000 reward to anyone with information that would lead to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons who had entered the Adams property Sunday and damaged the vehicles.

“Over the Memorial Day Weekend, we had some hooligans break into our place of business, and this was very disrupting to us,” Sinyard said at the Tuesday-morning press conference. “They came in and knocked out the windows of four of our vehicles and were trying to basically steal some nonexistent content.”

At the time of the press conference, Sinyard was highly upset and called for the community to pull together to prevent criminals from having a negative impact on the community, a stance he was still in favor of after learning about the Lofton arrest.

“No one deserves to have these criminals, these hooligans, burglarizing and breaking in and destroying the fabric of our community,” said Sinyard. “Everyone wants our community to be good, to be prosperous, to grow, and to have a place to raise our kids. Until we get control of this, there’s going to be issues. I hope that we’ll be able to not only capture these folks, but have the community take a stand today. Each and every one of us need to take a stand against this crime that continues to plague our community.”

In addition to offering the $3,000 reward, Sinyard is also donating $1,000 to Crimestoppers in order to help that organization crack down on crime in the Albany area.

“This is an ongoing program that all of our citizens need to know is out there,” said Sinyard of Crimestoppers. “So, if you see someone in your neighborhood or in your business community that’s creating a crime, you dial that number and there’s rewards for those that are trying to come together to stop crime in the future.”

Sunday’s break-in is the second time a crime has been committed on Adams property, Sinyard said. Five years ago, again on Memorial Day Weekend, suspects entered the property and ended up causing significant damage to the company’s HVAC system.

“This very same time five years ago, on Memorial Day Weekend, we had another break-in, another incident like this, and they cut through our fence and came in and destroyed all of our air conditioners, only to obtain $50 worth of copper,” said Sinyard. “We had to pay $15,000 out of pocket just to get whole again.”

Following the incident five years ago, Sinyard said the Albany Police Department was able to apprehend the suspects and bring them to justice, and he was thrilled to learn they had once again gotten the perpetrator of Sunday’s crime.

“The police five years ago did a great job; they caught the folks that tore up the air conditioners and did the burglary and they went to jail,” Sinyard said. “Thanks to the APD and all of our law enforcement officers for all they do everyday. They are greatly appreciated by a lot of people.”

Speaking before Tuesday’s arrest, Albany Police Chief Michael Persley said the case was a good reminder to all citizens and business owners to be sure their security systems are up to snuff and in good working order.

“We’re always asking people to have as much security in place as possible, surveillance equipment, fencing, lights, alarms on the fence,” said Persley.

Indeed, even though Adams has fencing around its property and a camera system, Sinyard said he plans on upgrading his system, as well as having the wooded area adjacent to the property cleared for better visibility.

“Our security system is going to be enhanced,” said Sinyard. “We’ll be putting up lights out there, very, very bright lights. We’re going to be able to go with a wireless security system. We’re really trying to enhance our security system. It’s a shame we’ve got to spend this kind of money to protect our business, but that’s what we’ve got to do to make things work like they should work.”

Regardless of security systems, Persley said it’s imperative that the citizens of Albany do their part to help deter criminal activity by taking preventative measures and paying attention to what’s going on around them.

“We want everyone to please be mindful and be aware,” said Persley. “It’s easy to let your guard down if something’s never happened to you. Everyone should lock our doors, take valuables out of our vehicles and make sure our security systems work. And the best thing really is nosy neighbors. People work hard to get what they have, and we don’t want people to make a living on the backs of someone else.”

Sinyard agreed, saying that the community as a whole has to band together in order for the criminals to understand that Albany is not a place that is going to tolerate crime.

“The great, great majority of the folks in Albany and Dougherty County are family and business folks that are respectful,” said Sinyard. “They’re law-abiding, they work hard and they do everything they can just to make ends meet and to make a living. It’s not right. We’re taking this very, very seriously. We want everyone to know that businesses in this town are going to do what they have to to stop this kind of stuff. I really believe that if our families and businesses just take a stand, we’re going to slow this stuff down. We’re going to win.”

If anyone has any additional information about the Adams Exterminators break-in suspect or about any other crimes in the Albany area, they are encouraged to contact Albany Crimestoppers at (229) 436-TIPS (8477) or the APD at (229) 431-2100. Crime Stoppers is an anonymous tipline, and those who provide tips can become eligible for cash rewards.