Two Arrested In Store Burglary
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WATER VALLEY – Two people face felony charges after allegedly stealing cigarettes, beer and Pringles valued at $2,300 at Sprint Mart just before midnight last Friday. Water Valley Police Chief Jason Mangrum reported Scott Lexa and Noah Fondon were charged with commercial burglary and grand larceny. A renovation is currently underway at the Main Street store, and the chief reported the men used a metal pipe to penetrate the temporary plywood exterior wall.
A store clerk reported the burglary the following morning after the business opened. Mangrum said the store was not ransacked during the burglary and the clerk initially didn’t notice.
“She saw something on the floor and then noticed the missing merchandise,” the chief added. A review of the store’s surveillance footage showed the men as they entered the store. Mangrum said they were very inebriated and easily identified. Fondon was arrested later Friday morning and Lexa the following morning. He added that very little of the stolen merchandise was recovered.
“Both men provided information linking them to the crime,” Mangrum added.
Lexa and Fondon are both currently incarcerated in the Yalobusha County Detention Center. Municipal Judge Trent Howell set a $100,000 bond for both men. Mangrum said Lexa also has a hold from the Mississippi Department of Corrections, as he is also currently on parole for an earlier offense.
In an unrelated arrest, Mangrum reported that Sammy Phillips Jr., age 49, of Water Valley was arrested for felony DUI on October 22. Officers observed both traffic and vehicle equipment violations and made a traffic stop.
“They smelled the odor of an intoxicating beverage and opened a DUI investigation,” Mangrum reported. He also said Phillips have numerous prior DUI convictions.
