FORT PAYNE, Ala. - A DeKalb County deputy investigating a stolen car also found a stash of stolen weapons in the Kilpatrick community this week.
One person is in custody and one is being sought in the case, Sheriff Jimmy Harris said in a news release.
He said Deputy Steve Bobbitt responded to a mobile home park on a report of a stolen car. While he was taking down information, he noticed a car of the same description parked three trailers down. As it turned out, the thief took the car from another location and drove it to the trailer where he was staying, not knowing that the owner lived nearby, the sheriff said.
When Bobbitt and Crossville Police officer Bryan Slaton approached, Gerald Christopher Lacey sped out the trailer's back door and ran away. The officers questioned a woman inside, Brandy Elaine Long, and found a cache of weapons in the trailer.
Investigating, they found the weapons had been stolen from Marshall County on Monday, the sheriff said. Several serial numbers from the weapons found matched those reported stolen in Marshall County.
Lacey apparently had broken in to the trailer and stayed there while the owner was away. When the owner was contacted, he agreed to let officers from Marshall and DeKalb counties search the home. They found a safe and other items from the Monday burglary, the sheriff said.
Brandy Long, 30, of Albertville, was later arrested for unlawful possession of a controlled substance. She was released from jail after posting a $7,500 bond.
Marshall County has obtained warrants for Christopher Lacey related to the theft of the weapons and other items, and DeKalb County is seeking him in relation to the theft of the vehicle.
Anyone who knows where Lacey is staying is asked to call the Marshall (256-582-2034) or DeKalb County Sheriff's Office (256-845-3801).