Published: January 16, 2009 11:25 pm      

Lauderdale County man charged in Alabama burglary

By Brian Livingston

blivingston@themeridianstar.com



Choctaw County, Ala., authorities have charged a Lauderdale County man in connection with a recent burglary there.

Most interesting to Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department investigators is that this suspect is a "person of interest" in at least two burglaries this past week.

"Not all the pieces of the puzzle have fallen into place as yet but we are very close," said LCSD Chief Dep. Ward Calhoun late Friday. "We have gathered a great deal of physical evidence and it has been sent to the state crime lab. If the results are what we suspect, then we might be able to close this case up."

Calhoun was not familiar with the Choctaw County case and officials there could not be reached for comment.

LCSD investigators have been looking into the Tuesday night burglary of the Rock House on Hwy. 19 North and the Wednesday night incident at the Southeast Trading Post on Hwy. 19 South. One of the biggest pieces of the puzzle was discovered Wednesday by an alert deputy as he drove by a business on North Hills Street.

"We believe the Rock House incident involved a truck that had been backed into the front door of the business in order to gain access," said Calhoun. "This deputy saw a truck that looked somewhat out of place, investigated and discovered it to be stolen. It also might be the truck used in both burglaries."

Thirteen handguns were reportedly stolen in the Rock House incident.

Calhoun said the department did not want to release the name of the subject because he hasn't been formally charged with any crime in Lauderdale County.