One charged with breaking into cars in church parking lot

BEAUFORT — Beaufort police have arrested a man accused of breaking into multiple vehicles while the victims were in church services.

Jeffrey Allen Johnson, 28, of Beaufort, was charged Sunday by Beaufort Police Department with five counts of felony breaking into motor vehicles, four counts of misdemeanor larceny, and one count of felony larceny in connection with vehicle break-ins at Queen Street Baptist Church, according to a news release from the police department.

Beaufort Police Department received complaints that vehicles had been broken into on Jan. 31 at Queen Street Baptist Church. Complaints also came in that there was a suspicious person in the Mt. Zion Church parking lot that same day.

Detective Phillip Lovoy led a surveillance team on Sunday to see if the person would return. At approximately 11:30 a.m., Officer Timothy Tucker was conducting surveillance on foot when he spotted Johnson, also known as “Ghost,” looking in vehicles at the Queen Street Church, according to police. As Johnson was producing requested identification, Tucker said he noticed a Sam’s Club Card and a Social Security Card belonging to one of the victims in the wallet.

Johnson was transported to the police department where he confessed to five car break-ins, police said. A laptop computer, a camera, cell phones and other assorted electronic equipment valued at approximately $4,500 were recovered from his apartment, police said.

Johnson was placed in the Carteret County Jail under a $15,000 secure bond.