Investigation nets multiple arrests for burglary, theft

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested 12 people during investigations into burglaries and thefts that have plagued several communities in Lee County since the beginning of the year, according to a press release from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Saturday.
Two of the 12 people were arrested twice, according to the press release issued by Capt. Van Jackson.
“Burglars have struck in all communities of Lee County with the Beauregard area having suffered several break-ins in the last couple of weeks,” the release states. The suspects in the investigations range in age from 16 to 57 years old and face with multiple counts of burglary and theft in connection with residential burglaries in the Opelika, Salem, Smiths Station, Phenix City, Beulah and Beauregard areas.
In addition to those individuals who have already been arrested, law enforcement officials are looking for two individuals with warrants for their arrests on similar charges.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office identified the two individuals as Geena Elizabeth Blanton, 26, of Phenix City, and Machelle Cherri Jahn, 45, of Five Points in Chambers County.
Blanton is charged with second-degree theft of property and Jahn is charged with third-degree burglary and third- degree theft, the release states.
A third individual, Christopher Lee Moore, 20, of Columbus, Ga., is currently being held in the Muscogee County Jail in Columbus, Ga., awaiting extradition to Alabama on burglary and theft warrants in Lee County, the release states.
His arrest will bring the total, so far, to 15.
“These arrests can be credited to cooperative efforts among the various area law enforcement agencies and the involvement of citizens by calling in information to law enforcement agencies or the Crime Stoppers Tip lines in the east central Alabama / west central Georgia area,” the release states.
According to the sheriff’s office, those arrested were:
- James Marvin Hendrix, 36, of Salem, who was arrested Jan. 5 and charged with burglary in the third degree and theft of property in the second degree;
- Donald Allen McFall, 23, and Eric Demond Coleman, 31, both of Smiths Station, who were arrested Jan. 7 and each charged with burglary in the third degree and criminal mischief in the first degree;
- Blake Allen Robinette, 18, of Phenix City, who was arrested Jan. 10 and charged with burglary in the third degree and theft of property in the second degree;
- David Anthony Hayes Jr., 21, of Lanett, who was arrested Jan. 13 and charged with burglary in the third degree and theft of property in the second degree;
- Rex Kenneth Sheffield, 47, of Salem, who was arrested Jan. 22 and charged with unlawful breaking and entering an automobile and theft of property in the third degree;
- A 16-year-old girl of Smith Station, who was arrested Jan. 25 and charged with burglary in the third degree and theft of property in the second degree;
- Eric Demond Coleman, 31, of Smiths Station, who was arrested again Jan. 29 and charged with burglary in the third degree and theft of property in the third degree;
- Donald Allen McFall, 23, of Smiths Station was, who arrested again Feb. 4 and charged with burglary in the third degree and theft of property in the second degree;
- Bentley Shawn Ray, 18, and Joshua C. Ray, 20, both of Valley, and Adam Kyle Rafalski, 21, of Opelika, who were arrested Feb. 5 and each charged with burglary in the third degree and theft of property in the second degree;
- James “Jimmy” Marion Hendrix, 57, of Phenix City,, who was arrested Feb. 11 and charged with burglary in the third degree and theft of property in the second degree.
- Cedric Ford, 19, of Phenix City, who was arrested in February and charged with one count burglary in the third degree and two counts of theft of property in the
second degree.