For months, burglaries and thefts have plagued the Petersville community in Lauderdale County. Now, another business has been hit. The two suspected thieves were willing to use extreme measures to get inside that store.
There are plenty of empty shelves inside Tobacco Junction on Cloverdale Road. Unwanted customers took the items without paying. On Monday at 8:00 a.m., owner Douglas McKee says an employee came to work and found a mess.
"The building had been ransacked," says McKee. "The back door was open."
The alleged crooks cleaned house, taking lighters, priced from $20 to $40, imported cigars and at least a dozen cartons of cigarettes worth $40 a piece. In addition to taking merchandise, the cash register was emptied.
The men accused of burglarizing Tobacco Junction went through the trouble of pulling off the electrical meter and cutting the phone line to the building before kicking in the backdoor.
It appears the thieves even tried to set the building on fire to cover up the crime. The owners found a burned ball cap on the floor, as well as a file cabinet smoldering in the back of the business. It's very frustrating for McKee because this is the third or fourth time something like this has happened.
"You lose inventory and it takes time," explains McKee. "We have to do all the repairs and partially shut down for a while."
Burglaries and thefts in the Petersville area and all over Lauderdale County are on the rise. Sheriff Ronnie Willis says his department is doing their best to curb the crimes, but they can't do it alone.
"At one time in Lauderdale County, we had a strong watch patrol and it helped decrease the burglaries and thefts and that's what we have to do now," says Willis. "We have to get back involved, even if it's just neighbors watching out for their neighbors."
Fortunately, in this case, authorities think they know who's responsible. On Monday afternoon, they arrested 18-year-old Kiefer Wilson and 19-year-old Matthew Hallums. Each man is charged with third-degree burglary, second-degree theft of property, second-degree receiving stolen property, and second-degree arson.
A few hours after the burglary, Florence police say they caught the men breaking into a house on Houston Street and recovered all the stolen merchandise. If authorities hadn't found the alleged stolen inventory, McKee says it probably would have cost them thousands of dollars.
Wilson and Hallums were booked into the Lauderdale County Detention Center on bail of $9,000 each.
There are plenty of empty shelves inside Tobacco Junction on Cloverdale Road. Unwanted customers took the items without paying. On Monday at 8:00 a.m., owner Douglas McKee says an employee came to work and found a mess.
"The building had been ransacked," says McKee. "The back door was open."
The alleged crooks cleaned house, taking lighters, priced from $20 to $40, imported cigars and at least a dozen cartons of cigarettes worth $40 a piece. In addition to taking merchandise, the cash register was emptied.
The men accused of burglarizing Tobacco Junction went through the trouble of pulling off the electrical meter and cutting the phone line to the building before kicking in the backdoor.
It appears the thieves even tried to set the building on fire to cover up the crime. The owners found a burned ball cap on the floor, as well as a file cabinet smoldering in the back of the business. It's very frustrating for McKee because this is the third or fourth time something like this has happened.
"You lose inventory and it takes time," explains McKee. "We have to do all the repairs and partially shut down for a while."
Burglaries and thefts in the Petersville area and all over Lauderdale County are on the rise. Sheriff Ronnie Willis says his department is doing their best to curb the crimes, but they can't do it alone.
"At one time in Lauderdale County, we had a strong watch patrol and it helped decrease the burglaries and thefts and that's what we have to do now," says Willis. "We have to get back involved, even if it's just neighbors watching out for their neighbors."
Fortunately, in this case, authorities think they know who's responsible. On Monday afternoon, they arrested 18-year-old Kiefer Wilson and 19-year-old Matthew Hallums. Each man is charged with third-degree burglary, second-degree theft of property, second-degree receiving stolen property, and second-degree arson.
A few hours after the burglary, Florence police say they caught the men breaking into a house on Houston Street and recovered all the stolen merchandise. If authorities hadn't found the alleged stolen inventory, McKee says it probably would have cost them thousands of dollars.
Wilson and Hallums were booked into the Lauderdale County Detention Center on bail of $9,000 each.
