A woman wanted for a number of break-ins in the South Hall County area is now behind bars.
Hall County Sheriff's Office Spokeswoman B.J. Williams said Crystal Lynn Cantrell, age 37 of Jefferson, was arrested Tuesday night, just hours after the sheriff's office had posted surveillance images on social media of a suspect in a number of entering auto cases near Flowery Branch.
"A deputy had actually been called to a residence on East Bolding Road in Flowery Branch to take a report on a separate entering auto case. That particular homeowner told the deputy that a white woman who was wearing an orange shirt that was on their security camera footage had gone into her husband's pickup truck," Williams said. "That same homeowner showed the deputy our social media post and said 'I'm pretty sure this is the same woman who was entering vehicles at that residence on Union Circle.'"
Williams said the deputy believed they had seen the woman on Atlanta Highway while driving to the home on East Bolding Road. When the deputy returned to the location, he spotted Cantrell, interviewed her and arrested her. Cantrell was booked into the Hall County Jail where she remains on more than $17,000 bond.
"Our investigators feel very certain that Ms. Cantrell is responsible for a number of other entering auto cases in Hall County, and we also know that she has charges pending in neighboring jurisdictions," Williams said.
Williams added that Hall County has seen a recent increase in entering auto crimes and advised residents in the county to take precautions to make sure they're not victimized.
"One thing people really need to do is keep their vehicle doors locked. In the cases involving Ms. Cantrell, she was apparently just going driveway-to-driveway and looking for unlocked vehicles, picking up anything from loose change to whatever valuables she could find," Williams said. "If you do have any kind of valuables, make sure you keep that out of plain view."
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Original story posted the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 17:
The Hall County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help in identifying a woman suspected of entering multiple vehicles on Friday in Flowery Branch.
Officials said in a Facebook post that the suspect was captured on a doorbell camera entering two vehicles at a home on Union Circle.
“She wasn't able to steal very much, but that's not the point. The point is that she is now a wanted thief and we want to make sure she doesn't do it again,” authorities said in the post.
Those who have information regarding the suspect are asked to contact Investigator Shaw at 770-297-4686 or via email at [email protected].
