John Willoughby
reporter2@greenepublishing.com
The Madison County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) is searching for a second vehicle involved in a Pinetta burglary on Friday, April 3, after arresting two individuals involved.
Major David Harper reports that deputies were dispatched to a burglary in progress at a residence located north of Pinetta on Colin Kelly Highway, around 6:50 a.m. Deputies were informed that a green car fled the area, traveling northbound at a high rate of speed, as well as a dark-colored compact sedan fleeing southbound on the same thoroughfare.
En route to the residence, Deputy Shane Gilbert spotted a dark-colored compact sedan traveling south on Colin Kelly Highway in excess of 80 miles per hour, also matching the description provided to dispatch by the victim. Deputy Gilbert relayed the suspect vehicle's location to Deputy Ryan Lowe.
Upon arrival at the residence, Deputy Gilbert was informed by the victim that he had left a relative's residence and was traveling to another location to pick up individuals for work. While passing his residence, the victim noticed a green four-door car parked in the ditch in front of his home. The victim assumed the car was abandoned and stopped behind it when he observed a black male wearing a mask get into the car, speeding off from its location.
The victim attempted to pursue the black male in the green four-door car, but stopped due to the unsafe speeds reached. The victim returned home and as he walked up to his home, he heard someone running inside the residence. The victim then spotted a black male, wearing a hoodie, in the woods southwest of his residence. When he began chasing the black male, he observed a dark-colored compact sedan parked in a ditch, west of his residence. The male in the hoodie attempted to get into the sedan when the victim ordered him to stop, firing three shots from a handgun into the air; however, the driver of the dark-colored sedan sped off, leaving the subject behind who then fled into the woods on foot.
Deputy Lowe located and stopped the suspect in the dark-colored sedan at the intersection of Hancock Street and Marion Street, in Madison. The driver was identified as 33-year-old Jeremy Antonio Demps, of Madison. The vehicle was found to contain property which had been stolen from the victim's residence. Further investigation and evidence showed that 40-year-old Javon Cartavius Edwards, also of Madison, was the suspect left behind by Demps when he fled the scene. Edwards was found to be the owner of the dark-colored sedan driven by Demps, and was later arrested at his residence on State Road 14 when Edwards attempted to report his vehicle stolen.
Both Demps and Edwards were charged with burglary of a residential structure, burglary of a non-residential structure, grand theft and possession of burglary tools. MCSO is continuing their investigation, in an attempt to locate the green four-door car that fled northbound on Colin Kelly Highway as initially reported. Anyone who may have information regarding this burglary is asked to contact the Criminal Investigative Division of the Madison County Sheriff's Office at (850) 973-4152.