On Wednesday, the Andalusia Police Department obtain warrants for a suspect in a jewelry heist in the local Walmart who is currently being held in Georgia, only to find they are 15th in line behind other departments with warrants to serve against him.
Lt. Jody Scott, who is an investigator with the APD, said Alfred Demond Jenkins, 41, of Georgia, currently is being held in Floyd County, Georgia, where he is accused of felony shoplifting in a case similar to the one in Andalusia.
Scott began investigating Jenkins in May, when security footage showed that a suspect entered the local Walmart early one morning, picked up a T-shirt that he used to cover his hands, and used some kind of tool to open the jewelry case, which he proceeded to clean out.
The man, who was accompanied by a woman whose role is unclear, walked through the store and exited on the far end of the building.
When an employee noticed the jewelry was missing, the APD began investigating, including dusting for prints, which were not found. The APD reviewed security footage, but was not able to identify the suspect.
Meanwhile, Scott said, local Walmart officials presented the APD with an itemized list of the items that were stolen, and began talking with loss prevention employees across the Walmart network. They determined that several Alabama and Georgia Walmart locations had been hit, but they were not able to identify the suspects by name.
But after an August jewelry theft from the East Rome (Georgia) Walmart, law enforcement agents were able to identify Jenkins. In Georgia, he had gained access to the jewelry cabinet, hidden jewelry in a trash can, then later removed tags and concealed the jewelry before leaving the store, according to WRGA news.
In Floyd County, Ga., Jenkins was charged with felony shoplifting and criminal trespass for damaging the display case. Once investigators determined his identity, they were able to compare security footage to link him to other thefts across two states.
At least 15 other agencies are waiting to serve warrants on Jenkins, as well. Scott said that the APD has warrants against him for theft of property first. In total, he is currently wanted for the theft of more than $300,000 in goods.
Jenkins is 41, and his address is listed as Albany, Ga.