By Joe Johnson
Charges have piled up on a pair of thieves who were arrested last month when Athens-Clarke County police raided their home and vehicle on Pinecrest Court and discovered a trove of property that was stolen during a three-month theft spree.
Arrested during the July 21 search were Sabrina Raquel Bodie and James Storm Howell, both 25 and from Jefferson.
Police said they were subleasing the home on Pinecrest Circle where trey stashed the stolen goods, which included several guns and numerous bank cards.
At the time, Bodie was charged with two counts each of theft by deception and identity fraud and Howell was driven to the county line where Oconee deputies took custody of him on a failure to appear in court warrant.
In the meantime, Athens-Clarke County police linked the suspects to a burglary and multiple vehicle break-ins, primarily the area of South Milledge Avenue over the three months prior to their arrests.
On Monday, Property Crimes Detective Nate Franco said he obtained additional warrants charging Bodie and Howell each with burglary, computer trespass, two counts of entering a vehicle with the intent to commit a felony, 18 counts of theft by receiving stolen property, three counts of theft by receiving a stolen firearm, and 10 counts of financial transaction card theft.
Additionally, the detective said, Bodie was charged with four counts of financial transaction card fraud, and, Howell was charged with one count of that offense, plus possession of a firearm by a first-offender probationer.
According to Franco, three of the recovered guns are known to have been stolen from vehicles, and the fourth gun was also suspected to be stolen.
"I obtained evidence that they had been in possession of many more guns and that they had likely sold these guns on the streets," the detective said.
Along with the guns, police recovered during the search thousands of rounds of ammunition. The guns included a semiautomatic rifle, a shotgun, and two handguns.
Other recovered property included multiple wallets, electronics, identification documents, financial transaction cards belonging to approximately 25 people. and various other stolen items.
Most of the recovered property reportedly was stolen during a burglary and multiple vehicle break-ins, primarily the area of South Milledge Avenue.
“This investigation is on-going and additional charges are possible related to this incident.,” Franco said. “The evidence showed that these subjects were using identity information, stolen from vehicles, in a fraudulent manner and this is a reminder that no one should leave driver's licenses, social security cards, or any other identifying information in their vehicles.”
Bodie is being detained at the Clarke County Jail, but Howell was released from custody in Oconee County and is now wanted on the new charges.
Police asked for anyone with information about the suspects or their alleged crimes to contact Franco at 762-400-7100 or Nathaniel.Franco@accgov.com