The BP station and the Rutledge Liquor Store on Atlanta Highway in Rutledge were burglarized during the early morning hours of Jan. 2, according to the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office.
According to reports, the complainant, who was the clerk at the liquor store had arrived at 5 a.m. and noticed the front door glass shattered and that the store had been broken into.
Deputy Cameron Pound arrived on the scene and made sure no suspects were still inside.
During his search, he noticed several liquor bottles had been knocked onto the floor by the cash register.
The owner of the store was contacted and arrived on the scene a short time later according to the report.
The owner told Pound he had a video of the burglary, with a time stamp of 4:37 a.m. that showed a male subject breaking the glass out of the door and entering the business.
The suspect then jumped over the counter and knocked several liquor bottles off shelves. The suspect looked into the area where the owner keeps the keys to the register but did not find them.
The owner stated the register contained an estimated $1,200 but was unsure how much cash had been taken at the time of the report.
On-call investigator Sgt. Chase Young arrived a short time later and the scene was turned over to him.
While investigating the burglary, Young was made aware of a shoplifting incident that occurred at the nearby Dollar General on Dec. 29.
According to the report, a white male and white female placed several items in a plastic garbage can and attempted to leave the business with them. The thieves were confronted by the store’s assistant manager and a struggle over the garbage can ensued.
The male was able to maintain possession of the garbage can, and the two suspects fled the scene in a silver sedan. The license number was relayed to law enforcement.
Video surveillance footage showed the suspects loading items into the garbage can and moving to the check-out counter but none of the items in the can were scanned, according to the report.
The photo of the female was matched to ownership of the silver sedan. Social media information revealed that the female was in a relationship with a male, who matched photos taken from the scene.
Arrest warrants will be obtained once a list of items stolen has been completed.