Two men are behind bars after allegedly stealing more than $50,000 worth of equipment from wildlife management areas in nearly a dozen North Georgia counties, the GBI said.
James Arthur Graham, 22, of Lawrenceville, and Parker Lewis Dean, 20, of Braselton, were arrested this week and charged in connection with the burglary spree. Authorities said the thefts occurred between May and September of this year.
The GBI’s Cleveland office was contacted in June about Department of Natural Resources sites being burglarized in Stephens, Dawson and Lumpkin counties, authorities said.
During the investigation, agents learned of similar thefts in eight more counties and were able to link Graham and Dean to the crimes, the GBI said. The two men are also believed to be responsible for a burglary at the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge in Gray. It’s not clear how authorities tied the men to the crimes.
The majority of the stolen items, which were not disclosed, were recovered this week when agents searched locations in Gwinnett and Barrow counties, according to the GBI.
Both men are charged with theft by receiving stolen property, but the GBI said additional charges are likely.
Graham was booked at the Gwinnett County Jail and Dean was taken to the Barrow County Jail, authorities said. Once the investigation is complete, the findings will be turned over to the attorney general’s office for prosecution.
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