VALDOSTA — An arrest was made this week following an investigation into car parts thefts in Lowndes County, the sheriff’s office said.

In recent weeks, detectives from both the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office and the Valdosta Police Department jointly investigated the theft of vehicle parts, including transmissions, a four-wheel-drive transfer case, drive shafts, headlamps, stereo equipment, wheels, tires and other items from automotive repair shops in Valdosta and Lowndes County, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.

In one case, an employee of the business was physically assaulted, the statement said.  During this joint investigation, detectives identified a suspect, and on Wednesday, detectives from the Valdosta Police Department, Brooks County Sheriff’s Office, Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office and officers from the Georgia Department of Community Supervision went to an Ellenburg Road home in Brooks County where they recovered multiple stolen automotive parts from the property, the sheriff’s office said. 

With the recovery of the property, and evidence obtained during the investigation, Johnathan Orr, 44, is charged with multiple counts of theft by taking as well as possession of stolen property in Brooks County, the sheriff’s office statement said.  

“There is no doubt the cooperative efforts of Chief Leslie Manahan, the Valdosta Police Department, the Brooks County Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Community Supervision and the Sheriff’s Office certainly led to the identification of this offender and ultimately led his arrest,” Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk said in a statement. “It is exactly this type of work that aids in the recovery and return of victims’ stolen property and highlights the continuous working relationship between the agencies.”

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.