Three individuals, hailing from Mississippi and Illinois, were apprehended by the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office for their involvement in a theft case. The incident report states that the accused individuals had stolen lottery tickets valued at over $20,000 from a nearby convenience store.
Deputies responded to a call about the alarm going off at Ricky’s Food Store on Highway 32 on October 15. Upon arrival, they noticed that the front door had been shattered.
The owner’s son quickly arrived at the scene and discovered that the entire case of lottery tickets had vanished. He informed the deputies that a total of 68 rolls of tickets, valued at approximately $20,400, had been stolen.
The man also mentioned that the individuals tried to disconnect the power to the building and damaged the meter box.
The deputy stated that the store’s security footage revealed the arrival of a newer model black Ford Edge or Escape at around 11:54 p.m. A masked black male exited the vehicle and used a metal tool to break open the front door. After gaining access, he proceeded to take the cases of lottery tickets from the counter and handed them to another black male who was positioned at the door, providing assistance.
In the video, it was also observed that a black male passed the lottery tickets to another black male who was closer to the vehicle. The deputies made an attempt to read the vehicle’s tag, but the footage was too blurry to decipher.
A deputy also interviewed the resident living next to the store, who mentioned that they became aware of the situation when they heard a lot of noise. They observed the suspect’s vehicle speeding away in the eastbound direction towards Nicholls.
The vehicle and the three suspects were the subject of a BOLO, which prompted the case to be handed over to a detective.
On October 18, Gregory Carter (51), Carlos Jones (38), both from Mississippi, and Donameen Jones (48) from Illinois, were arrested and charged with second-degree burglary. They were subsequently booked into the Coffee County Jail after a thorough investigation.
