Three charged in multiple burglaries
Three suspects have been arrested and charged in a commercial burglary ring over multi-county jurisdictions, according to sheriff Kenny Dickerson.
The burglaries took place from October 2018 to January 2019, he said.
In late December deputies patrolling on the north end of Marshall County, close to the Shelby County line, spotted a dualie pulling a goose-neck with a large tool box and a sideby-side ATV strapped to the trailer.
Deputies attempted to stop the vehicle, which fled going west on DeSoto Road, then into a muddy soybean field, where the dualie got stuck. The suspects abandoned the dualie and rode away on the side-by-side, Dickerson said.
A search of the area turned up no suspects but officers recovered the dualie and stolen trailer which contained paperwork in the cab of the pickup.
Further investigation showed that the truck and trailer had been stolen from Team Waste property off Wingo Road, said Maj. Kelly McMillen, who along with investigators Perry Pipkin and Kenny Laughter assisted the sheriff in driving the investigation to develop suspects.
Receipts inside the dualie had suspects’ names attached and some unknown quantity of a controlled substance, Dickerson said.
Armed with that information, investigators contacted the Olive Branch Police Department and executed a search warrant at the 5900 block of Davidson Road in Olive Branch, the sheriff said.
Multiple stolen items – vehicles, trailers, ATVs and a Corvette stolen from Marshall County off Quality Drive – were recovered at the residence, McMillen said.
The Corvette had been cut up and what was left of it was the bumper, chassis, motor and transmission – evidence suggesting a chop-shop operation was being conducted.
A contact with the homeowner at the residence provided additional information regarding the stolen properties, Dickerson said.
Search warrants were served by the Olive Branch Police Department and by sheriff’s departments in Marshall and DeSoto counties and Shelby County, Tenn.
The first person arrested was identified as Edward Donald Thornberry, 27, of the Red Banks area, who is charged with multiple commercial burglaries in Marshall County and with chop-shop operations in Olive Branch and with grand larceny in Shelby County, McMillen said.
While attempting to locate Edward Donald Thornberry, investigators received a tip of a stolen vehicle at a location in the Hickory Flat area of Benton County.
A stolen vehicle was located on the I-22 on-ramp heading west that was partially burned. It was identified as one of the vehicles taken from a residence in Olive Branch, which led to the arrest of a second suspect, Brandon Lee Taylor, 22, of the Potts Camp area. Taylor was arrested and charged with accessory after the fact of commercial building burglary and remains in the Marshall County jail on $10,000 bond, Dickerson said.
The following day, another stolen vehicle was located following a tip. Surveillance that started at a third suspect’s residence led officers to a vehicle parked at Dollar General in Hickory Flat. Plus, a stolen trailer was found at the residence, according to the sheriff.
Edward Daniel Thornberry, 31, of the Hickory Flat area, was also charged with accessory after the fact, he said.
Dickerson said he anticipates more charges and arrests to come out of this investigation. Investigators on his team are working with the Shelby County Gang Unit in an attempt to locate a fourth suspect in this burglary ring who may live in the Memphis, Tenn., area, the sheriff said.
Dickerson thanked authorities in Olive Branch, Shelby County, and DeSoto County for helping investigate this commercial burglary ring. He also praised Maj. Kelly McMillen and investigators Perry Pipkin and Kenny Laughter for their diligence in working this case.