HOMER — Banks County officials say they have arrested three men and recovered about $55,000 worth of property stolen from Chimney Oaks Golf Club in Homer Sunday night.
That’s about 90 percent of the estimated $61,850 worth of lawn equipment, electronics, gasoline and other items discovered stolen from inside a building and reported to Banks County deputies Monday morning.
“Wade Bolton, 17, of Homer has been charged with theft by receiving stolen property,” said Sheriff’s Lt. Carissa McFaddin. “Louis Stiles, also 17 of Homer, is being charged with felony burglary, and Adrian Scranton, 19 of Eatonton, is being charged with felony burglary and theft by taking. All three male subjects are being housed at the Banks County Detention Center and are awaiting a bond hearing,”
Two of the men were arrested at a home on Carson Segars Road on Monday, with the third arrested on Ga. 98 Monday night.
McFaddin said a deputy who was on patrol in the area of Grove Level Road on Monday observed an older blue Jeep Cherokee traveling in a reckless manner and at a high rate of speed in the opposite direction.
“As the deputy maneuvered to pursue the vehicle in order to initiate a traffic stop, the vehicle was out of the deputy’s direct sight,” McFaddin said. “While still traveling the area in search of the vehicle, a citizen alerted the deputy toward the direction of Carson Segars Road, where the vehicle was last seen traveling erratically.”
The deputy located the vehicle in a driveway on Carson Segars Road and found it to be occupied by several occupants, with a male standing outside. When the deputy got out, the male fled on foot, but four other people stayed inside the vehicle.
Additional deputies arrived and questioned the vehicle’s occupants.
“While speaking with all the occupants, items that were observed from plain sight inside the vehicle were noticeably identifiable,” McFaddin said. “After further investigation, deputies were able to determine the equipment observed from within the vehicle was actually stolen from Chimney Oaks Golf Club on the previous evening. Additional items were located at the residence that also were confirmed to be linked to Chimney Oaks Golf Club.”
Deputies on Monday recovered most of what had been reported missing by course officials earlier.
“We can confirm that we have located 90 percent of the reported stolen items,” McFaddin said. “We are still investigating leads to locate the final item that was stolen from the local business.”
Bolton and Scranton were arrested at the residence. Stiles was identified and arrested Monday night on Ga. 98.
Two females in the Jeep were detained and interviewed, then released, according to McFaddin.
