FORSYTH, Ga. — Three people are charged with breaking into a Forsyth drugstore and nearly a dozen cars, according to the Forsyth Police Department.
They say Jayleen Chamblis, Shakeem Grant and O'Hagee Wilkerson stole a car and then broke into U Save It Pharmacy on Cabiness Road.
According to the press release, police responded to the store's alarm going off at 11:08 p.m. on Friday. They noticed the back door handle was broken and the door was open.
Around 4 a.m. Saturday, investigators say while officers were investigating the pharmacy burglary, they noticed a suspicious vehicle traveling from Frontage Road to Highway 83. When they attempted a traffic stop, the car fled only to wreck at Gilmore Road, about a half mile from U Save It.
Several men then ran from the police, according to the release.
Once investigators were called out, they learned the car was stolen from Oakridge Drive, where about 10 other cars were also broken into.
Simultaneously, deputies with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office were investigating several car break-ins.
Mason James said he was one of the first people on his street alerted about the break-ins.
"What the cops actually told me was that they'd drove by 10 minutes prior and saw the trunk and the door open," he said. "When they got back 10 minutes later, they thought something was wrong."
James said he normally does housework around his home during the later hours of the night.
"Ignorance is Bliss," he said.
Around 1 a.m. Saturday, he decided to take a break inside and hang out with a friend. It was around then when they got a knock on their garage door and were greeted by police.
They told him, his car had just been broken into.
James went to look back at the footage from his security cameras. He initially put the cameras up to serve as live cams to allow his daughter, who lives in Florida, to watch him whenever she wants.
He said his neighbor helped him and other neighbors install the cameras.
"You always have someone watching over you," he said.
Forsyth Captain Terrence Thomas said the investigation was a joint effort between the Forsyth Police Department and the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.
"Monroe County found some items that belonged to the individuals," Thomas said. "They did a great job identifying some of the open vehicles out there and making contact with multiple victims out there. That's how we were able to get that information we needed to solve some more crimes the public didn't know about."
Armed, James stands his ground and gives a warning to anyone else thinking of stealing from him or his neighbors.
"I would be very careful around here," James said. "Everybody here owns guns, and I would be very careful around here."
According to Captain Thomas, the investigation is open and ongoing.