Two suspects now face a commercial burglary charge each in relation to one of two burglaries that occurred on Christmas Eve.
Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Shane Tucker said the two were identified through tips on Facebook after the department posted images captured by surveillance equipment during one of the two crimes. Those tips led to the arrests of 25-year-old Roger Heath Graham of 67 Alphabet Lane and 26-year-old Frank Powell III of 483 Stringer Bullock, Foxworth, Miss., Tucker said.
According to previous coverage in the Item the burglaries occurred at two U.S. 11 convenience stores on Christmas Eve.
The first is reported to have occurred at about 3 a.m. on Dec. 24, at Logan’s One Stop No. 2, the previous story states.
Deputies found the glass of the front door had been broken, and detected other signs of a burglary. Tucker said that as of Tuesday afternoon the owner is still working to determine what items were taken during the burglary.
The second burglary took place at 12:15 a.m. on Christmas Day at the McNeill General Store, located at 8679 U.S. Highway 11 in McNeill, previous coverage states.
Surveillance equipment at the McNeill General Store captured two male suspects in hoodies at the business around 11:35 p.m. on Dec. 24, said Tucker. That footage was shared on the department’s social media page, which received a large response from the community, Tucker said.
Investigation into the scene noted that one of the suspects appeared to have kicked a hole in the glass door before using his arm to push out the remaining glass, Tucker said in the previous story.
The owner reported that a large amount of cigarettes were taken during the crime, the previous story states. Tucker said that after the suspects were caught, the investigation showed the stolen cigarettes had been smoked or sold, preventing the agency from recovering the stolen goods.
Tucker said both men are currently being charged with one count each of commercial burglary for the McNeill General Store incident. The burglary of Logan’s One Stop No. 2 is still under investigation by the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department so the suspects could be facing additional charges.
Tucker said both suspects were arrested Monday afternoon just before 2 p.m. at Graham’s residence on Alphabet Lane.