A former Eatonton resident reportedly drove back to her previous town and stole approximately $20,000 worth of equipment. A week later she was back again, being booked into Putnam County jail.
Jennifer McCoy Johnson, 41, of Main Street, Tennille, turned herself in at Eatonton Police Department around 9:30 a.m.
June 23. She was charged with one count of felony burglary – second-degree, party to a crime. She reportedly was the accomplice to Jason Glenn Hughes, 45, of the same address, who was arrested a day earlier on one count of felony burglary – second-degree.
“Officer Hargrove Jones and Alex Rickey did a great job on this case,” Eatonton Police Chief Howell Cardwell said. “I want to commend them on their hard work investigating and solving it.”
Johnson had lived in Eatonton with her ex-boyfriend, Cardwell said. She and her boyfriend had stored some of their personal items in a former employer’s building on the corner of North Jefferson Avenue and Wayne Street. When the two broke up their relationship, there was a disagreement over some of their items in the building, according to an incident report by Officer Jones.
Meanwhile, Johnson moved with her new boyfriend, Hughes, into a house owned by her mother in Tennille. On June 16, the owner of the North Jefferson Avenue building reported to Eatonton Police that the door was opened on his building, which was being used for storage, and “a plethora of items were missing.”
Officer Jones responded to the call and noted in his report that he saw no evidence of forced entry or scrape marks on the floor, which would’ve been caused by dragging the large pieces of equipment that were no longer there.
Jones learned from the owner that Johnson and her ex-boyfriend had a key to the facility because they stored items in it.
Jones went to nearby businesses and the church next door and watched footage from security cameras. The footage revealed a large black SUV with a double-axle trailer drove up to and backed into the bay area of the building and stayed there for approximately one hour and 20 minutes. It was later learned that the vehicle belonged to Johnson, according to Jones’ incident report.
Officers Jones and Alex Rickey went to Tennille and talked to Johnson and Hughes, and they admitted taking the items, Cardwell said.
The stolen items reportedly included a Cold Stone Creamery ice cream machine valued at $7,000, a cotton candy machine valued at $3,200, a popcorn machine also valued at $3,200, numerous steel tables, and a flat top stove. Cardwell said Hughes and Johnson took the items to a grocery store in Hawkinsville and sold them all for $1,700.
Rickey and Washington County authorities arrested Hughes in Tennille on June 22. Johnson turned herself in the next morning. Each of them was released on a $5,000 property bond, according to jail records.
Rickey went to Hawkinsville and recovered all the stolen items, Cardwell said.