On Saturday, Nov. 14, Bremen Police apprehended two suspects in an early morning foot chase following their alleged involvement in a rash of burglaries and vandalism at local businesses, which began last month. Appro-ximately 12 businesses have been struck to date, and police are reaching out to other public safety agencies in Haralson County to make sure those suspects aren’t linked to similar crimes that might have occurred outside of the city’s jurisdiction.

County law enforcement agencies report that higher crime rates generally occur during the holidays; however, this time, things have been even tougher for Bremen Police. Chief Keith Pesnell said that evidence leads investigators to believe the suspects in custody are responsible for the devastation that targeted businesses in the city, mostly near the downtown district.

These incidents sparked upsets within the local business community, but Pesnell said his staff has worked hard to make sure those suspects don’t reap even more havoc on other business owners outside of the community. This comes after Bremen Police Sgt. Casey Vann arrested suspects Jerry Dewayne Frye and Ajay Lee Myers, both of Bremen, while on foot patrol. The arrest occurred after another alleged episode of vandalism and burglary – this time targeting a church and Bilbo’s Bar-B-Que restaurant on Atlantic Avenue near Highway 27.

“We immediately started investigation of the string of vandalism and burglary cases that took place in downtown Bremen, which led up to the early morning of Nov. 14, when suspects busted out windows at Bilbo’s Bar-B-Que. They stole the cash register and other items that police recovered,” Pesnell reported. “They vandalized a church and another business, too, before Vann captured these suspects during foot patrol near the area. The foot-chase led up to Tallapoosa Street and Sewell Road.”

He added that the suspects “have been in and out of trouble” with the law for a while now for unrelated cases and were released from parole and probation just a short while before they were arrested last weekend. Pesnell said he believes the ongoing attacks on businesses might have been vindictively motivated to agitate police.

However, the suspects’ alleged actions have cost both of them 17 criminal warrants each and several charges that range from burglary to criminal trespassing, according to Pesnell. Magistrate Judge Brandon Heath also denied bond for Frye and Myers as they wait in Haralson County Jail for their next court appearance.

Meanwhile, Pesnell hopes whomever is ruled as an offender in the various cases receive the maximum penalty allowed, and he applauds officers for a job well-done in the investigation, which he stressed is not yet over.

“Our officers did a great job stepping up to try and combat this situation that’s targeted businesses in our community. They (officers) took care of the job, and we’re so proud to serve the public. We take our roles very seriously and personally and want to see that justice is served,” Pesnell said. “The investigation is still underway, and we have already recovered some of the merchandise that was stolen during the break-ins, as we work on returning items that were taken in the other cases.”

Those cases include approximately three to five businesses that police say might have been ransacked and burglarized just before daybreak on Thursday, Nov. 5. At that time, burglars also devastated one of the oldest businesses in the city, Cantrell Jewelers, by stealing jewelry from the glass display cases that were smashed, ultimately leaving the shop a “complete wreck,” recalled shop owner Johnny Cantrell.

In the meantime, Pesnell expressed thanks to the community for their prayers and asks them to continually pray for the police department in their public safety efforts. He further assured that they are “getting with other agencies” in the county to make sure the suspects haven’t been involved in incidents outside of Bremen, although he thinks such cases may be confined within the city.

Pesnell urges anyone with additional information about the recent burglaries and vandalism cases to call the Bremen Police Department at 770-537-4441. Anyone with information may remain anonymous if they wish.