Law enforcement with both the Oakwood Police Department and the Hall County Sheriff's Office have arrested two suspects in a series of entering auto and burglary cases that occurred recently in the north end of Hall County.
Oakwood Police Sgt. Danny Sridej identified the suspects as Jacob Lawrence Barnes, 22 of Gainesville, formerly of Winston and Ross Randolph Sweat, 19, of Gainesville, formerly of Murray, Kentucky.
The pair would either open unlocked cars, or break into ones where valuables were visible.
Sridej said the pair used stolen credit cards to make purchases from Walmart and Burger King in the Oakwood area.
Sridej said Hall County deputies were patrolling the Fran Mar Drive area and spotted the two suspects having a yard sale in the front yard of their residence. Investigators found evidence belonging to several victims at the residence. He said the items linked Barnes and Sweat to at least eight open cases.
The Hall County Sheriff's Office is expected to bring additional charges against the pair. Oakwood police investigators will prosecute the two for using the stolen credit cards.
Sridej said there are at least 15 victims involved in the case, including one woman who he said had no idea she was a victim until law enforcement contacted her.
Residents are reminded to lock their vehicles and remove any valuables from them.
AccessWDUN's Brian Stewart contributed to this story.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/10/463572/two-arrested-in-series-of-entering-auto-burglary-cases-in-north-hall-area