Carteret man arrested, charged with break-ins

EMERALD ISLE - A Carteret County man accused of breaking into multiple cargo trailers in the Emerald Isle and Cedar Point area and stealing tools and construction equipment was arrested Monday in connection with the alleged crimes.

The Emerald Isle Police Department, with the assistance of the Carteret County Sheriff's Office, executed a search warrant at the Cedar Point home of Jeffery Lee Thomas, who was taken into custody and arrested on charges stemming from incidents within Emerald Isle.

"We've been working pretty hard on this for two weeks or so and we're pretty glad to catch him," Emerald Isle Police Chief Bill Hargett said of the arrest.

Thomas, 41, of Bell Street, was charged with four counts of felony breaking and entering a motor vehicle; two counts of felony larceny; two counts of felony possession of stolen property; two counts of misdemeanor larceny; two counts of misdemeanor possession of stolen property and damage to real property.

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

Emerald Isle police have been investigating at least three known break-ins within the town that they believe are connected to Thomas. Investigators with the department were able to recover some of the property stolen during the incidents from persons who had unknowingly purchased the items from Thomas.

The recovery Monday of these items gave police needed information to obtain the search warrant for the Thomas residence as well as an arrest warrant for Thomas on those cases.

"Fortunately we were able to identify some of the owners he sold some of the tools to," Hargett said.

According to a press release from the Emerald Isle Police Department, Thomas was involved in three reported incidents of cargo trailer break-ins within the town.

Town police received a report April 20 of multiple break-ins at the Ocean Mist Storage facility on Reed Drive. The locking mechanism on the main gate was broken to gain entry and then various hand and power tools were taken from two different cargo trailers located inside.

The lock on one of the trailers was cut and the locking mechanism on the second was beaten to get entry. The total value of the damage and theft in the incident was approximately $1,700.

Reports of similar incidents at a construction site near the Point and the Osprey Ridge area of Coast Guard Road were reported on April 26 and April 27, respectively, the news release said.

Thomas owns and operates J and J Mobile Detailing Service and was able to identify potential targets while working in the area, the news release said.

Hargett said the investigation remains open and anyone with information about any other possible break-ins or who may have purchased any tools or equipment from Thomas is encouraged to call the police department.

"We are still actively investigating. Anyone who bought any tools or traded any with Thomas is encouraged to call the department," he said. "We need to get those tools back."

According to Emerald Isle police, there have been similar incidents in the Cedar Point area and additional charges against Thomas are pending from the Sheriff's Office.

Staff writer Jannette Pippin can be reached at jpippin@freedomenc.com or 910-382-2557.