Thursday, June 16, 2011
Giles Arrests Will Likely Result In Resolution To Local Church Crimes
Two Lawrence County men were among four arrested this week in connection with a church burglary spree spanning six counties, and officials expect that the arrests will lead to the resolution of a number of local church burglary cases.
Officials with the Giles County Sheriff’s Department report that two men were arrested at a Lawrence County home near the Giles County line Tuesday and that a vast number of items believed to be stolen were confiscated.
Daniel Ray Prince, 28, and Ricky Lee Sharp, 25, both of Hosea Green Road, Leoma, were taken into custody along with twenty-four-year-old Jeremy Shaw Field of Columbia Highway, Pulaski and Geoffry Nathan Bean, 22, of Old Petersburg Pike, Fayetteville. Each man was booked through the Giles County Jail on charges of aggravated burglary and theft of property. Prince, Sharp and Field were held under a bond of $14,000 apiece, while bond for Bean was set at $20,000.
The arrests were made in the wake of an investigation into burglaries at churches in Giles, Lawrence, Lewis, Marshall, Maury and Lincoln counties.
On Wednesday, authorities reported the department had rented a twenty-six foot U-Haul truck in which to load the property seized from the Lawrence County home. Additional items were seized from homes in both Giles and Lincoln counties.
The burglary spree was said to have continued for at least a year, with churches throughout the area reporting thefts of various items, most commonly electronics, musical instruments and sound equipment.
Investigators in all six counties are currently working to identify stolen property. Church officials have been contacted, however authorities ask that officials with churches that have been burglarized contact them in order to determine whether items stolen are among the property recovered.
Giles Chief Deputy Tommy Chapman should be contacted regarding recovered property at 931-363-3505.
While all four individuals are currently jailed under only two charges, officials indicate that many additional charges are pending. Evidence in the cases will be presented to grand juries in each jurisdiction, and the four will likely face charges in all six counties.
Currently investigation is still continuing, and officials report they expect to recover more property. Lawrence County officials expect that numerous local burglary cases may be resolved during the course of the investigation.
