Rich Flowers
The Athens Review
Athens —
Burglars were busy in the Athens area Sunday, hitting a local business and a church.
Smith Lumber Company on U.S. Highway 175E told Henderson County Sheriff’s Office dispatch early Monday that a Polaris Ranger and a 4-wheeler had been taken.
Store officials discovered shortly while reporting to work shortly after 7 a.m, that locks on the garage door had been cut, and the vehicles were missing.
Eric Smith said the thieves had be work hard to get the vehicles out of the building, because they were surrounded by merchandise. They ignored other valuable items to get to the stolen items.
“They went through the back to the pasture,” Smith said.
A 4-wheeler was stolen from the store a few years ago, but the thief was arrested a few hours later after a manhunt. Smith said he hopes law enforcement is as successful this time.
The Recovery of the Cross Church on North Prairieville Street was also victimized. The Athens Police Department was notified Monday morning that someone had broken into at a building near the sanctuary.
The thief apparently entered through a window on the west side of the structure. Cpl. Jason Bosher reported that the missing valuables included a Sony DVD player, a nail gun, walkie talkies and hand tools.
The break-in was the second time within a 2-week span that the church had called APD to report a theft on the property. On July 16, lumber was taken from the location, APD reports said.
HCSO reported some good news on the vehicle theft front, Tuesday. Two adults have been arrested in connection with a theft May 3 in which a 1991 Dodge truck was taken from a residence on County Road 3607. An unnamed juvenile has also been identified in relation to the case.
Justin Alexander Hooker, 19, of Tyler and James Arthur Featherston, 17, were placed in the Henderson County Jail Monday. They were arraigned by Precinct 6 Justice of the Peace Milton Adams, and released after posting $5,000 bond.
HCSO was assisted in the investigation by the Texas Department of Public Safety. During the investigation, authorities were able to locate parts of the truck, which had been cut into pieces, and sold to two different parties.
The dismantled chassis was recovered at a residence in Mount Pleasant, and the sheet-metal parts were sold at a local scrap yard, HCSO reports said.
