SC Man Charged in Theft of Cellphones at Toccoa Wal-mart

By Charlie Bauder, WNEG Radio, Toccoa

A South Carolina man is behind bars charged with the theft of dozens of cell phones from the Toccoa Walmart.

Toccoa Police Chief Tim Jarrell said investigators have charged 33-year-old Ontorio Cortez Waymyers of Colubmia, South Carolina in connection with the March 27 theft of $14,000 worth of cell phones from Wal-Mart.

Jarrell says the investigation broke open when police put information about the theft onto the Regional Organized Crime Information Center.

“We passed that information on,” said Jarrell. “They in turn distributed that information out to various other jurisdictions and locations. We received a telephone call and an e-mail from an agency who had someone in custody that matched most all the information we shared with them.”

That agency was in Greene County in Middle Georgia.   Jarrell said his officers then traveled to Greene County, Georgia to meet with Waymyers.

“Detective (Shannon) Westbrook and a detective from the Hartwell Police Department went to Greene County, Georgia in an attempt to interview Mr. Waymyers,” said Jarrell. “While there, they were able to gather information and evidence from his vehicle that actually tied him to our Wal-Mart theft in Toccoa.”

Toccoa Police charged Waymyers with one count of theft by shoplifting.

Investigators say Waymyers used a pry bar to open the display case at the Toccoa Wal-mart around midnight on March 27, put 31 cell phones into a suitcase and left the store.

Jarrell said investigators have not yet recovered all of the stolen phones but believe the suspect may have sold them to a local business.

Jarrell says he appreciates the cooperation between agencies.

“Being able to share this information with multiple other jurisdictions, through the use of ROCIC, helped us to be able to locate this person and to be able to locate evidence of this crime,” said Jarrell.

Jarrell said Waymyers is a person of interest in cases ini a number of Georgia counties and municipalities, including in Hartwell.

Waymyers remains in custody in Greene County.