MIDLAND CITY, Ala (WDHN) — Three Dothan men have been arrested after police say they broke in to a number of unlocked vehicles in a Midland City neighborhood.
At approximately 2:45 a.m. Friday, morning Midland City Police Officers arrived in the Maplewood Community after receiving reports of suspicious activity.
Police Chief Jimmy Singleton says when officers arrived, they found three persons, each of whom fled on foot when they noticed the officers.
According to Chief Singleton, after a short chase, one of the suspects threw a backpack and dove into a pond but almost drowned before officers pulled him out of the water. The two other suspects got away. When officers searched the backpack, they found various stolen items from vehicles that had been broken in to.
During a press conference, Singleton said the suspect who almost drowned revealed everything that happened and after a short investigation, officers made their way to the Midtown Apartments where they found the two other suspects, along with a 9mm handgun with a suppressor on it, in an apartment.
The suspects have been identified as 20-year-old De’Andre Lewis, 20-year-old Deonte Jones, and 26-year-old Demarius Benton.
All three men have been arrested and charged with four counts of Breaking and Entering a Motor Vehicle and one count of Theft of Property in the first degree. Lewis also has an additional charge of attempting to elude.
Singleton said the three men were targeting unlocked vehicles in and around the Maplewood Community.
What the public needs to understand, in this era and this day and time, they need to keep their things locked up and keep their vehicles locked.
Midland City Police Chief Jimmy Singleton
During the conference, Singleton said the three men have an extensive criminal history and commented on the state of the Alabama Prison system.
The prison system in Alabama is awful. We lock them up, they let them out.
Midland City Police Chief Jimmy Singleton