Klinger
Someone on Still Farm Road in the Poarch community dialed 911 on Nov. 29 to report a burglary in progress at a neighbor's house that not only resulted in the arrest of an Atmore man but also resulted in solving two more burglaries in the area.
Joel Thomas Klinger, 31, 206 12th Ave., was charged with burglary I, possession of burglary tools, theft of property II, burglary III, unlawful possession of a controlled substance (meth) and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. As of press time he remained in the Escambia County Detention Center on $100,000 bond.
Escambia County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Mike Lambert said Poarch police officers and sheriff's deputies responded after the 911 call and that Poarch officers arrived a few minutes before the deputies and witnessed Klinger using a screwdriver to attempt opening the door. He was taken into custody without incident.
Lambert also noted that the person who made the 911 call stated they thought the subject was armed. During a search, deputies found a .38-caliber pistol that appeared as if someone had tried to file off the serial numbers. Lambert also said the search also revealed methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
Deputies then executed a search warrant at Klinger's residence and discovered jewelry and other items reported stolen from other homes in the area.
"I applaud the Poarch Police Department for their immediate response," Lambert said. "Poarch officers are cross-deputized to help us in areas outside the reservation. Some think they only work in Poarch, but they are a valuable asset to the entire community."
Lambert noted the case is still under investigation.
Neighbor helps again
In another neighbor-helping-neighbor case, a juvenile was taken into custody Dec. 5 for burglarizing a house on Atmosphere Road in Atmore.
According to sheriff's office reports the sheriff's office received a call to respond to 578 Atmosphere Road in reference to a burglary in progress.
According to the report, when the victim arrived home he received information from his neighbor who said they saw someone crawling out of the window of his sister's home.
The victim went through the house and was unable to locate anyone, but found a window that was open.
As deputies responded to the scene they found out more information on the case and began to search the area for possible suspects in the burglary.
Sheriff's reports noted a juvenile was found in the vicinity and was taken into custody. Reports note the investigation led to the juvenile being arrested. The juvenile was turned over to juvenile authorities.
