Citizen Involvement Aids Sheriff’s Department in Burglary and Theft Investigation

A citizen report of a suspicious vehicle helped the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department solve a burglary over the weekend at a residence on the Old Mill Hill Road.
Sheriff Patrick Ray says 24 year old Joshua Cripps of Hodges Road, Smithville is charged with aggravated burglary and theft of property. Bond for Cripps was set at $75,000 and he will appear in court on September 3rd. Another man, 20 year old Raymond Howard Rollins of West Main Street Apartments, Smithville is charged with driving on a suspended license. His bond was set at $1,000 and he will appear in court on September 2nd.
On Saturday, August 22nd deputies received a call from a citizen about a suspicious automobile on Old Mill Hill Road, Dowelltown, and that someone had gotten out of the vehicle. Upon arrival the officer discovered that Rollins was the driver. A check of his license revealed that it was suspended for failure to satisfy a citation.
On Sunday morning, the sheriff’s department received a call of a break in at a residence on the Old Mill Hill Road. Following an investigation, deputies arrested Cripps in connection with the crime. Sheriff Ray says officers discovered that Rollins and Cripps had been together on Saturday and that Cripps had told Rollins to let him out of the vehicle and to pick him up again in a few minutes. Rollins then rode around until he got pulled over and arrested on the driving charge. In the meantime, Cripps allegedly went to the residence of a family member, broke the glass out of a door, entered the home, and took a bottle of prescription medication. The victim was not at home at the time of the break in. Cripps then left and was picked up by officers later Sunday morning.
Sheriff Ray says he wants to thank the complainant who reported seeing the suspicious vehicle. “The caller did the right thing by calling the dispatch and advising us of the vehicle. It made this theft investigation a lot easier for us to work. This is a great example of what happens when citizens are keeping watch on what is going on in their communities. We encourage people to call us and let us check out things such as this.”