GEORGIA COMPUTER THIEVES CAUGHT The Hartwell Sun Online:

Three-county crime spree comes to an end

By Justin Brimer

Staff writer

Hart County Sheriff's investigators say two men who burglarized at least seven area houses randomly picked victims.

Sheriff Mike Cleveland said the men went to houses on weekday mornings, hoping the occupants were at work.

Their crime spree came to an end shortly after one man used a stolen credit card at Wal-Mart.

'This was a huge bust,' said Investigator Mike Bowers as he sorted through stolen computers, furniture, jewelry, video game consoles and credit cards recovered from a house the two men shared in Franklin County.

Don Richardson, 19, 2239 Jackson Bridge Road, Lavonia and Josh Pointer, 18, 293 Vandiver Road, Martin were arrested July 23 and charged with five counts of burglary.

Bowers and Investigator Marshal Norton said the men would knock on doors in the mid-morning. If no one answered, they would kick it in and take items they could easily sell, like jewelry and electronics.

Wal-Mart provided a photo of one man as he attempted to use a stolen card, but investigators did not know who he was.

When they posted it inside the sheriff's office, Kayla Beck, a dispatcher, recognized Richardson as a classmate from Franklin County High School.

She provided investigators with a phone number for him that led to his address and eventual arrest.

On July 25, investigators from the Banks and Franklin County Sheriff's offices came to Hartwell and identified some items stolen from houses there.

They confirmed the men had items taken during burglaries in their counties.

Richardson admitted to selling camcorders and computers they stole to a pawn shop in Anderson, S.C.

In all, investigators say the men stole more than $15,000 in items.

Bowers says there is little a homeowner can do to protect property from burglars.

He says deadbolts, security cameras and window bars can help, but, "if they want to get into your house, they will find a way.