Carnesville Man Charged with Toccoa Burglary

By Charlie Bauder, WNEG Radio, Toccoa

A Carnesville man is one of two people facing charges in connection with a burglary over last weekend in Stephens County.

Authorities say it happened last Saturday.  According to Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley, deputies responded to an Oak Valley Road residence whose owner was out of town.

“A family member actually drove by the house and saw that the door was open and turned out and went and checked and saw the house had indeed been broken into,” said Shirley.

Shirley said the person who initially reported the burglary, also helped his investigators crack the case.

“The family member also saw a vehicle there earlier when he had went to town and based on the description of that vehicle, it led to two arrests in Stephens County,” said Shirley.

Arrested were 36-year-old Ray Daniel Mims of Carnesville and 31-year-Old Jessica Windiate Thompson of Toccoa.

Both are charged with first degree burglary.  Mims is also charged with tampering with evidence.  Shirley says that the investigation is ongoing.

“There are some similarities in this burglary that may connect to some other burglaries that we had a few months ago and investigators are working diligently on that,” he said.

According to Shirley, both Mims and Thompson remained in the Stephens
County Jail at last report awaiting a bond hearing.

Authorities have recovered most of the property that had been taken, but some of it, Shirley said was damaged.