Three suspects from Alto were arrested on Sunday, May 24, after they were allegedly caught stealing items from shipping containers left near the site of a recent train derailment in Hall County.
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office said the containers were located alongside the railroad tracks near Old Cornelia Highway and Yonah-Homer Road, where a Norfolk Southern train derailed on May 21. Cleanup crews have remained at the scene since the accident.
Deputies responded to the area at around 7 p.m. after a 911 caller reported suspicious activity near the containers. When authorities arrived, they discovered four shipping containers with doors that had either been pried open or had their locks cut.
Investigators encountered Brianna Nicole Ayers, 28, James Bradley Ayers, 60, and Mark Anthony Purdy, 53, at the scene.
During the investigation, deputies reportedly found several items believed to have been taken from the containers.
Inside Purdy’s vehicle, authorities reportedly located three cases of 12-count trash bags and six mixing bowl sets. In Ayers’ vehicle, deputies allegedly found two cases of 12-count trash bags, three cases of breakfast cereal, three cases of 24-count Propel water and a table.
A Norfolk Southern Railway special agent later arrived and requested charges be filed against the suspects.
All three individuals were charged with second-degree burglary and theft of cargo, both felony offenses. As of the last report, the suspects remained in custody without bond on the burglary charges.
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