Teen charged with burglary
Published 3:04 am Tuesday, June 21, 2016
An 18-year-old is facing multiple burglary and theft charges in Florala.
Florala Police Chief Sonny Bedsole said that officer Lance Price picked up Zachary Thomas Smith for questioning after a good citizen informant named Smith as a suspect in a burglary of a local home.
Bedsole said that he and Price interviewed Smith at the FPD.
“Smith confessed to breaking into 4th Street residence twice, once while the homeowner was in bed asleep and a second time to take more property that he had observed and wanted to take after the homeowner had left, as well as a mobile home on Caton Road in Florala,” Bedsole said.
A Playstation, Xbox360, rifle ammunition, currency, a flat screen television and a smartphone were taken.
Bedsole said that officers from FPD as well as Lockhart Police Department Assistant Chief Joey Cato went to various locations in the Florala area recovering the stolen property from different individuals to whom Smith had sold or traded the property.
Smith has been charged with one count of burglary II (occupied dwelling), three counts of burglary III (unoccupied dwellings), one count of theft of property III and one count of theft of property IV.
“I would like to recommend that homeowners take pictures of their valuables and record serial numbers of items so if the need ever arises to recover their property if it is every stolen, “ Bedsole said. “This certainly helps law enforcement’s efforts to recover property.”