2 arrested; Believed to be connected with south AL church burglaries

DALE COUNTY, AL (WSFA) - Two suspects believed to be connected with several church burglaries across south Alabama have been arrested, according to the Dale County Sheriff's Office.

Saturday and Sunday Dale County deputies responded to three burglaries of churches in the Marley Mill, Rocky Head and Ariton communities. They said sound equipment, TVs and other items were taken.

It was through the work of a citizen's tip that sped up the process of investigation. Dale County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Mason Bynum said Tuesday the Coffee County Sheriff's Office shared a lead with the Dale County Sheriff's Office that was in line with the citizen's tip.

The suspect vehicle was seen on U.S. Highway 231 by a Dale County deputy in Ozark. Bynum said the deputy conducted a traffic stop and recovered stolen items from the burglaries inside the vehicle.

Bynum said a search warrant was also executed at a local motel where numerous other stolen items were found and believed to have been taken during burglaries in Barbour, Henry, and Dale Counties.

Arrests of 26-year-old Diamond Brown of Headland, and 23-year-old Breon Richardson of Eufaula were made. Bynum said both were charged with one count of third-degree burglary and fourth-degree theft of property each. Bynum also said they expect many more counts of receiving stolen property once they are able to process all of the evidence and identify where it was stolen from. Bynum said more arrests are likely.

Several law enforcement agencies from the Wiregrass area collaborated and worked to solve this investigation.

Bynum said based on the current information they have, the burglary at Ebenezer Baptist Church is unrelated to the others and two additional suspects have been identified. Those suspects are believed to be juveniles.

Brown and Richardson are both being held at the Dale County Jail under no bond.

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