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Crossville teen charged in church burglaries
Published December 22, 2009
Authorities arrested a Crossville teenager in connection with a rash of church burglaries in DeKalb County.
DeKalb County Sheriff Jimmy Harris said authorities arrested Ethan Nathaniel Heaton, 18, and charged the suspect with the burglary of six churches, with other charges pending grand jury considerations. Heaton remained in the DeKalb County Jail under a $60,000 bond Monday.
Harris said the church burglaries started across the county in early November and continued through Thursday morning.
“The burglaries primarily involved theft of music and sound equipment which has been valued at approximately $20,000,” Harris said in a statement released Monday. “Information obtained in burglary reports stated that the suspect drove a white Ford Mustang. Sheriff’s Office investigation led to pawn shops in our area, one of which had obtained a copy of Heaton’s identification when he sold sound equipment there and reported that he was driving a white Ford Mustang.
“Once the suspect was identified, ‘be on the lookout’ information was disseminated to sheriff’s deputies, investigators, task force agents and local police departments, particularly those on the south end of DeKalb County.”
Harris said about 1 p.m. Thursday, Crossville Police Department officers Jacky Clayton and Brian Slaton spotted Heaton in the car and pulled him over on Alabama Highway 227. Sheriff’s Office investigators interviewed the suspect, arrested him and transported him to the DeKalb County Jail.
The list of churches that reported the stolen items included:
• Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Crossville;
• Union Grove Baptist Church in Crossville;
• New Home Church in Kilpatrick;
• Mount Pleasant Church in Grove Oak; and
• Calvary Baptist Church in Fyffe.
The list of stolen items included speakers, amplifiers, guitars, stereos, a camcorder, a computer, sports equipment and a small amount of cash. Most of the items stolen were recovered and being processed for return to their owners, Harris said.
Other churches that reported break-ins but nothing stolen included:
• Liberty Church (Crossville);
• Tenbroeck Baptist Church in Geraldine;
• Highway Church of God in Fyffe; and
• Providence Missionary Baptist Church in Collinsville.
“This arrest was made possible through a joint effort of several agencies, including Crossville, Geraldine and Fyffe police departments, the Sheriff’s Office, and the Drug Task Force,” Harris said. “We’ve had a lot of people putting a lot of work into getting to the bottom of these burglaries, and we are glad to have a suspect in custody.
“This case was closed due to good old-fashioned police work. We hope we won’t see any more of these church burglaries, not only here during the holidays but in the future as well. Investigation into the burglaries will continue.”
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