Tip leads to arrest of local man, items recovered

The case against an Andalusia man arrested Monday night for a score of area burglaries is “like a mushroom cloud. It keeps getting bigger and bigger,” Lt. Paul Dean said Tuesday.

Dean, a criminal investigator with the Andalusia Police Department, said Terry Lee German, 40, was initially taken into custody after a citizen allegedly observed his child’s stolen 4-wheeler in German’s Camellia Avenue yard. The citizen called 911, and Dean said when he arrived at the home, he noticed something strange.

“What I noticed when I got there was a large – and I mean large – amount of items that didn’t add up and were out of place and shouldn’t be at one person’s home,” Dean said. “And that’s when the investigation began.”

Dean said German was then booked into the Covington County Jail for burglary and theft of property and held on an investigative hold for further questioning.

Stolen items recovered from German’s home ranged from lawn equipment to curtains, he said.

Dean said eight victims were identified Monday, and by Tuesday morning, the number had nearly doubled and police were able to identify 90 percent of the property owners.

“So far, with the recovery of those stolen items, we’ve closed out 15 burglaries of various ages, from properties on Camellia Avenue, Lakeview Drive, over around Thames Street, Sanford Road, Adams Avenue, Albritton Road and the Green Acres area,” Dean said. “But that number could change as we continue to investigate. This case is like a mushroom cloud. It keeps getting bigger and bigger as we go along.”

German remains in the Covington County Jail without bond and is expected to face a multitude of felony charges.

Dean said more information on the case and German’s arrest will be released later, possibly at a press conference sometime today.