By By ROBERT BLANKENSHIP – Managing Editor
A burglary that took place across the border on one side of the county ended on the other as officials with the Escambia County Sheriff's Office arrested a suspect outside of a Brewton hotel last week.
Thomas Benjamin Davis, 23, 10600 Highway 97A, Walnut Hill was arrested and charged with burglary and grand theft with the Escambia County, Fla. Sheriff's Office. He was also charged with 54 counts of bad checks in Escambia County, Ala.
The arrest was made on the same day the burglary was reported at a Piggly Wiggly in Davisville, just south of Atmore into Florida. Davis was an employee at the store and allegedly had access to the checks that were stolen from the store.
ECSO Capt. Chuck McMullen said his office was asked to keep an eye out for the suspect at the request of the Florida officials.
The search for the suspect led investigators to the Days Inn in Brewton where Drug Task Force Commander Keith Hutchins spotted the suspect's vehicle. A surveillance of the vehicle was set up to wait for Davis to appear.
Davis was brought to the sheriff's office to be questioned and was arrested later on the bad checks and burglary charges. Davis is still in the Escambia County, Ala. jail on the bad check charges.
ECSO, Fla. investigator Frank Way is still seeking another person believed to be an accomplice in the burglary.
According to McMullen, some of the stolen property is still missing.