FOUNTAIN — A 19-year-old man was arrested after he tried to sell stolen jewelry to a woman who, it turns out, was the victim of the burglary, according to a Bay County Sheriff’s Office news release.
Clifton Tyler Johnson, 19, was initially arrested on charges of loitering and prowling in the Owenwood Road area, BCSO said. But BCSO has filed charges of burglary of a conveyance, dealing in stolen property and three counts of burglary of a dwelling, officials reported Monday.
According to BCSO’s report, they received a complaint on Thursday of a burglary at a home on Owenwood Road in Bay County. The victim stated a white male was seen running from home. The victim went into the residence and found that jewelry had been taken.
Several other complaints of burglaries were received from the area of Owenwood Road around the same time. Cars and homes were burglarized. Items taken included cash, cellphones, prescription pills and jewelry, officials said.
On Friday, one of the victims was approached by a white male at a store in the Fountain area who asked if she would like to buy jewelry. The victim recognized a ring as her own and stated to the suspect it was hers. The suspect gave her the ring and left the store, officers reported.
Later on the same day, a BCSO deputy patrolling on Owenwood Road spotted a white male running from one of the homes that had been previously burglarized. The deputy pursued on foot and was able to take Johnson into custody. He was charged with loitering and prowling and booked into the Bay County Jail.
BCSO investigators developed Johnson as a suspect in the burglaries during the course of their investigation and learned that Johnson, a transient, was in the Bay County Jail. Investigators interviewed Johnson and were able to connect him to several burglaries and the attempt to sell stolen jewelry, BCSO reported.