Police say men who burglarized storage units caught on camera

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

Police investigator Barry Powers displays items recovered following the arrest of a pair who burglarized AKB Storage earlier this month. The suspects reportedly spent hours busting into locked storage buildings. (Duane Sherrill photo)

Two suspects are in custody and more are expected to follow for a burglary spree at AKB Storage, a spree was which caught in its entirety on video surveillance cameras.

The suspects, Roger Pleger and James Pleger of Northcutts Cove, were both charged with theft this week after lawmen conducted surveillance on the pair days following the Dec. 3 heist.

According to investigator Barry Powers, the men were among a group who broke into numerous storage buildings at AKB, located off Garfield Street. Powers said the suspects were able to enter the locked storage facility by keying in the correct code on a security keypad, thereby opening the gate. Once inside, the suspects began breaking into storage buildings at random.

“They spent hours inside,” Powers said. “We have it all on video tape, them entering the key code and then breaking into the storage houses.”

Powers said the suspects concentrated on items they could carry, taking things such as VCRs, binoculars, clothing and various electronics. Many of the storage bins contained furniture which was too big to carry, slowing the burglars who had to pick through stored items to find what was easy to carry.

Along with video tape, Powers said the suspects were seen leaving the area following the spree, with a witness providing a good description of the getaway vehicle as well as the suspects. The stolen items were recovered at a local residence where they had been stashed by the burglars.