QUITMAN —
More than $12,000 in property was recovered earlier this week after Brooks County sheriff’s investigators nabbed one of two burglary suspects near Highway 133, Brooks Sheriff Mike Dewey said Wednesday.
Three flat-screen televisions and at least 10 gold necklaces lined the table in the sheriff’s department conference room as authorities detailed the arrest.
“The economy has more effect on burglaries than the season,” said Chief Deputy Joe Wheeler. “We’re nipping these burglaries in the bud early.”
There had been a concentration of burglaries along a strip of Highway 133, said Dewey, who also stated that he had given his officers a directive to increase their patrol efforts in the area.
On Monday, when a patrol unit noticed a truck with un-boxed LCD televisions in the bed, his officers stopped the vehicle to question the two occupants. The passenger fled into the woods, and the driver was arrested on site.
Valdosta Police Department K-9 units assisted in the manhunt, but the police dogs could not pick up the trail of the second suspect.
Officers reportedly discovered a small cache of stolen electronics and other valuables, tucked just inside of the tree-line on the side of the highway.
Byron Gipson, 24, was arrested and transported to the Brooks County Detention Center, reports stated. He is charged with four counts of burglary and his bail has been set at $26,000, reports stated..
Anyone who has any information on this crime, or any other violation, is encouraged to contact the Brooks County Sheriff’s Office at (229) 263-9323.
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