A week-long run of vehicle break-ins across Spalding County came to an abrupt halt last Saturday after deputies arrested two Griffin teens, capping off a tense early-morning encounter where one suspect allegedly fired three shots at a homeowner. Investigators say the pair is tied to multiple car break-ins and two auto thefts, and that a stolen electronic device’s signal helped lead deputies straight to them. One suspect, 18-year-old Leon McCampbell, is being held at the Spalding County Jail, while a 16-year-old has been taken to juvenile detention. Officials have not publicly said whether the homeowner was injured.
Deputies Say It Started On Westridge Drive
According to FOX 5 Atlanta, Spalding County deputies were called out around 5:30 a.m. last Saturday to the 100 block of Westridge Drive for reports of vehicle break-ins. The outlet reports that a homeowner who stepped outside to check on the commotion found suspects breaking into a car, and that one of them fired three shots before the pair sped off in a vehicle that had been stolen earlier in the night.
Trail Of A Stolen Device Leads Investigators In
WSB-TV reports that deputies tracked the suspects by following the signal from a stolen electronic device. That digital breadcrumb led investigators to an abandoned getaway vehicle in the Wills Walk subdivision off Vineyard Road. A 911 call from a resident who spotted suspicious teenagers walking through the neighborhood then helped patrol officers locate two teens matching investigators’ descriptions in the 1000 block of Vineyard Road.
Stack Of Charges For The 18-Year-Old And Juvenile
Per FOX 5 Atlanta, 18-year-old Leon McCampbell faces one count of aggravated assault, four counts of theft by taking a motor vehicle, 18 counts of entering an auto and one count of possessing a firearm during the commission of a crime. The 16-year-old is also facing charges related to motor-vehicle theft, entering autos and a firearm offense. McCampbell remains at the Spalding County Jail, while the juvenile was transported to the Martha Glaze Regional Youth Detention Center in Clayton County.
Sheriff Says Teens Are ‘Blessed’ No One Shot Back
Sheriff Darrell Dix did not mince words about the suspects’ alleged motives or how close this case came to turning deadly. “These suspects were stealing because they wanted stuff without paying for it. They are blessed that they didn’t run across an armed homeowner who shot back,” he told WSB-TV. Deputies say the arrests are tied to a series of entering-auto reports filed over the previous week, and that the investigation is still ongoing.
