of four Pike County burglaries

From staff reports

Three men are in jail this week after being charged with four recent burglaries in Pike County.

· Lawrence Johnson, 42, of Bowden Motel, Apt. 4, Highway 231, was charged with burglary third degree in connection with the April 6 burglary of Jackson Hardware; the May 25 burglary of Jackson Hardware; and the May 28 burglary of Brundidge Electric Co. A total of $6,000 worth of property was taken from Jackson Hardware, primarily crystal and such, and $990 in property was stolen from the electric company, authorities said.

· Timothy

Rodgers, 41, of Route 3, Box 190, in Brundidge, has been charged with burglary third degree in connection with the June 15 burglary of Mary’s Delight and Deli. Thomas said $100 in property was stolen and damage to the door and cash register is estimated at $600.

·

And Roy Lee Edwards, 34, of 205 Davis Road, Luverne, is charged with theft of

property in connection with the June 20 theft of more than $1,200 worth of tools from Gibson Farm.

A cooperative effort between the Brundidge Police Department and the Pike County Sheriff’s Department led to the arrests, said Sheriff Russell Thomas.

"Both Jackson Hardware and the Brundidge Electric Co. are in the jurisdiction of the Brundidge Police Department," Thomas said. "Mary’s Delight is in our jurisdiction.

"During the course of our investigations, we learned some information that could help (Brundidge) and they learned some information that could help us," he said. "We exchanged information back and forth."

The exchange led to the arrests, late last week and on Monday, and the suspects were being held Tuesday in the Pike County Jail.

"All of these burglaries, with the exception of the theft of tools at Gibson Farm, occurred during the dark of night," Thomas said.

With little information and no witnesses, the sheriff said "good sources" and a continued investigative effort led to the arrests. "You start with nothing and continue to work on these cases," he said. "You’ve got to have good sources to be effective."

Thomas said the authorities have recovered about $2,000 in property. "Chief Moses Davenport is hopeful that we’ll be able to recover more property," Thomas said.

Both Davenport and Thomas complimented the work of Investigator Lee Tew and Investigator Frank Wheeler, who helped solve these cases.