Subjects arrested in Dougherty, Lee car break-ins
Five suspects nabbed through joint efforts of local law enforcement agencies
By Gypsy Crow
ALBANY — Crimes of opportunity: That’s the way Albany Police Department Sgt. Jon Segroves, who spoke on behalf of multiple law enforcement agencies, described the string of entering autos across Dougherty and Lee counties during a joint news conference Tuesday.
Through the cooperation of law enforcement agencies in both counties and efforts by investigators, five suspects were arrested and charged with these crimes.
Tyon Whitaker, Sir’Darious Johnson, Jacob Wooley and Timothy Williams were charged with multiple counts of entering autos; and Brandon Breedlove was charged with multiple counts of burglary, entering auto and aggravated assault. The defendants are all between the ages of 17 and 21.
The Albany Police Department, the Dougherty County Police Department, the Lee County Police Department and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office held the joint press conference Tuesday to announce arrests of the suspects.
According to Segroves, the events that led investigators to these suspects began with an accidental shooting.
“With the interviewing skills (investigators) had, they were able to break that open and identify those individuals in time,” Segroves said.
The suspects were involved in more than 15 different entering autos in the Dougherty County area alone. The crimes are believed to have begun some time within the last couple of months, but the actual total of entering autos and burglaries was not defined.
Investigators are continuing to look into the other crimes as well as burglaries and entering autos spanning across other counties, including Terrell County, which neighbors both Dougherty and Lee. The ultimate value of the property destroyed and stolen is unknown at this time, but according to Segroves the total amount will be at least several thousand dollars.
A search warrant was issued for 2505 Slappey Blvd., where several items reported stolen in Dougherty and Lee counties were recovered. Investigators have asked citizens who may have purchased what turned out to be stolen property from the suspects to contact the police department.
The public is also asked to keep their vehicles locked, their property secure, and not to leave valuables in their cars.
“We lose guns in these entering autos every day,” Segroves said.
Gun owners were asked to secure their firearms inside their homes and not to leave them where a child or a potential thief can find them. Law enforcement officials recommend securing property around the house inside a storage building rather than leaving it out in the open to be taken by criminals.
Segroves thanked the public for putting out videos of the crimes, which led to the arrests of these suspects. The APD officer also thanked investigators for putting in tireless hours to track the men down.
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