Athens-Clarke County police have arrested a homeless man for allegedly breaking into a convenience store and stealing a donation jar for a well-known charity.

Police spokeswoman Hilda Sorrow said that an officer responding to a 3:40 a.m. alarm call Tuesday at the Golden Pantry in the 1800 block of West Broad Street found that the front door had been broken out.

“As he viewed the surveillance video, he saw a subject enter the store, remove a jar of money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and then exit,” Sorrow said.

A description of the suspect was sent to other officers, and the suspect was soon arrested and the money jar recovered.

Richard Sylves Tilghman, 26, was charged with burglary.

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Lt. Gov. Burt Jones — pictured at an August rally in Peachtree City that also featured Vice President JD Vance — appears to have scored another legal victory over gubernatorial rival Attorney General Chris Carr in their battle over campaign finance issues. (Arvin Temkar/AJC 2025)

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