Wal-mart Shoplifting Investigation Continues

In Toccoa, authorities believe more stolen items from other counties will turn up as the investigation into a theft ring busted last week in Habersham and Hall counties continues.

Last week, we told you about a multi-county investigation involving Toccoa Police, Habersham County Sheriff’s office, Cornelia Police and the Mountain Judicial Circuit NCIS team that led to the arrest of three people in Baldwin.

42-year-old Benjamin Joel Heard of Baldwin, 43-Year-Old Ricky Land of Baldwin, and 36-Year-Old Heather Christine Bain of Cleveland, were arrested last Tuesday and charged all on multiple drug and theft charges.

At the time, Habersham authorities said search warrants uncovered a cache of stolen merchandise from Wal-marts in Cornelia and Toccoa totaling $7,000, plus drugs and other items.

Toccoa Police Chief Tim Jarrell said that operation then  led authorities to another location in Cornelia last Thursday, where authorities arrested 26-year-old Matthew Robert Gibson of Cornelia for felony theft by shoplifting.

“He faces in Toccoa and he also faces charges in Cleveland, Georgia for a theft of flat screen televisions from that Wal-Mart store,” said Jarrell.

Jarrell said Gibson’s arrest then led investigators into Hall County, where they served a search warrant at a Clermont residence and found another TV stolen from the Cleveland Wal-Mart.   Authorities arrested 27-year-old Jeffrey Thomas Fink of Clermont on a charge of felony theft by receiving.

“It is our belief, during the course of our investigation, that Mr. Fink was taking in items that were stolen from various Wal-Marts such as televisions, computers, electronic equipment, and he was accepting stolen items in exchange for money and/or drugs,” said Jarrell.

Also arrested at the Clermont address was 23-year-old Patricia Ann Mead of Clermont.  Mead was wanted on outstanding warrants from Banks and Habersham counties.

Jarrell said the investigation is ongoing and authorities believe more stolen items from other counties may be connected to this case.