Arrests made for break-ins in three counties

By STEPHANIE PORTER-NICHOLS/Staff

Police expect that the arrest of a 29-year-old Tennessee man earlier this week will put an end to a string of break-ins in a three-county area.
According to Smyth County Sheriff David Bradley, Charlie Joe Brown was arrested Oct. 6 in a motel near Interstate 81’s Exit 10 in Washington County on outstanding Tennessee warrants for driving-related offenses.
The arrest ended a 24-hour search for Brown that started in Smyth County after Deputy Mark Harrington received information that, according to a Smyth County Sheriff’s Office press release, linked him to a series of break-ins that had taken place over the last few weeks in Marion, Chilhowie and Saltville as well as in Washington and Russell counties.
The press release noted that the sheriff’s offices in the three jurisdictions and the Virginia State Police have worked cooperatively to solve the crimes.
Brown was located, said the release, when the Washington County Sheriff’s Office received information about his location. Smyth County Sheriff’s Office investigators Johnny Joannou and Billy Eller and VSP Special Agent Joe Campbell joined officers from Washington and Russell counties near the Exit 10 scene.
After the search of a nearby trailer park, the press release said, Brown and several other individuals, including Stacy L. Lowery, 28, of Poore Valley Road in Washington County were found in the motel.
According to the sheriff’s statement, Lowery is believed to have been with Brown during the break-ins and is facing multiple charges. She was questioned at the motel and then released with two other men.
Based on information they obtained following the arrest, the press release said, investigators believe that Brown is responsible for several break-ins. The investigation will continue, it said, as police are now looking at individuals who may have assisted Brown and who may have received stolen items from him.
Bradley said Brown has been charged with nine break-ins and grand larceny in Smyth County. He anticipated multiple charges will follow from Washington and Russell counties.
Most of the break-ins, said Bradley, occurred during the day. Jewelry and other small, easy-to-sell items were stolen.
Bradley cited inter-agency cooperation as a key to this case. “These arrests,” he said, “are the result of a good working relationship between all departments involved and dedication by all officers that investigated these crimes.”
The sheriff urged anyone with information about these crimes to contact a local law enforcement agency. He also urged citizens to always report suspicious individuals and vehicles by calling authorities and to write down tag numbers when it can be done safely.
“We always ask for the public’s help,” he said.
Brown is being held in the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail.