Security footage helped deputies track down alleged Toccoa thief
Jeremy Frank Scarborough booking photo (Credit: Stephens County Sheriff's Office)
STEPHENS COUNTY, Ga. - A multi-day investigation into a convenience store break-in has ended in an arrest after community members flooded law enforcement with identification tips.
What we know:
Stephens County Sheriff’s Office deputies and investigators rushed to a convenience store on Rock Creek Road in Toccoa around 6:30 a.m. on June 22.
Once at the scene, law enforcement officers discovered a shattered window, cash scattered across the area, and various misplaced items.
Security camera video obtained by investigators showed a partially masked white man on the property around 11:48 p.m. on June 21 wearing a red shirt, khaki pants, and gloves.
The man tried to force the front door open with a sharp tool but walked away before breaking in.
The suspect returned around 2:45 a.m. on June 22 wearing a blue shirt, using a sharp object to smash his way inside, steal merchandise, and run toward Rock Creek Road.
By the numbers:
Following a public alert posted on June 25, investigators identified the primary suspect as 30-year-old Jeremy Frank Scarborough of Elberton.
Scarborough already faced active arrest warrants out of Elbert County for a probation violation.
Around 8:52 a.m. on June 29, the agency's Crime Suppression Unit tracked Scarborough down at his job on Broad Street in Toccoa and arrested him without any issues.
Later that afternoon, around 12:06 p.m. on June 29, investigators executed a search warrant at a home on Rumsey Avenue where Scarborough had been staying. Inside the house and a vehicle on the property, deputies found clear evidence linking him to the burglary.
What's next:
Scarborough remains booked in the Stephens County Detention Center.
He faces charges of second-degree burglary, possession of tools for the commission of a crime, theft by taking, and criminal damage to property alongside his existing Elbert County warrants.
He is currently waiting for his first appearance bond hearing in front of a Stephens County magistrate judge.
What we don't know:
Officials have not released the specific value or details of the items stolen from the convenience store. It also remains unconfirmed what type of sharp tool the suspect used to break the window and pry at the doors.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from an official criminal investigation report and arrest announcement issued by the Stephens County Sheriff's Office, including details from on-scene deputies and the Crime Suppression Unit.