Two held on vehicle burglary charges
Two men from Louisiana are in jail after an off-duty police officer spotted them burglarizing cars in an apartment complex and they were ultimately arrested.
Early Monday morning, an off-duty police officer was heading to work from his residence in The Lory Apartments off Harrison Avenue when he spotted two black males burglarizing vehicles. After the officer confronted them, the individuals fled the area in a vehicle.
The officer was able to provide a description of the vehicle and later in the morning, deputies with the Bay County Sheriff’s Office spotted the vehicle at a hotel in the 1000 block of E. 23rd Street.
Officers with the Panama City Police Department were dispatched to the scene and the suspects were located in a room at the hotel. A search warrant was obtained and executed by the PCPD SWAT team, who entered the room and arrested the two individuals.
Arrested were Joshua N. Jenkins , 24, and Adonis J. Pate Jr., 17, both from Louisiana. Property stolen in multiple vehicle burglaries in Panama City was in the room as well as a dumpster behind the business.
Jenkins and Pate were both charged with seven counts of unarmed burglary, one count of armed burglary, one count of grand theft of a firearm, and one count of grand theft. Further investigation allowed detectives with the PCPD to clear eight car burglary cases. In addition, detectives with the Panama City Beach Police Department, the Lynn Haven Police Department and the Springfield Police Department are all investigating the two individuals for vehicle burglaries in their jurisdictions.
Anyone with information in this case is asked to call the Panama City Police Department at 850- 872-3100, or they can report tips anonymously via smartphone by downloading the “Panama City PD” Tip411 app from the iOS or Google Play stores.
