A Cornelia man faces numerous criminal charges after going on an alleged crime spree that police say included vandalizing a church and stealing the church van.
Cornelia and Baldwin Police responded to multiple calls at several locations throughout their jurisdictions on March 2. Before the night ended, they had a suspect in custody.
Police arrested 23-year-old Robert William Dagenhart Jr. outside the Walmart in Cornelia but it was a long twisty trail that led them there.
Earlier in the evening on March 2, Baldwin Police responded to two burglaries on the 441 Bypass – one involved a vehicle fire, the other criminal damage to property.
Cornelia Police responded to three separate calls. The first was at the Taco Stand at 215 South Main Street where someone reported that a white male snatched the tip jar and fled. Officers then responded to a call at Hillside Baptist Church on Level Grove Road regarding a stolen van.
“It was discovered that it [the church] had been forcefully entered and the inside was vandalized with a tremendous amount of damage,” says Cornelia Police Chief Chad Smith.
In the third incident in Cornelia Monday night, police were called to Walmart regarding a suspected shoplifter. That’s where officers arrested Dagenhart and recovered the stolen van.
Officials identified Dagenhart from video surveillance at one of the locations that was burglarized in Baldwin. Baldwin P.D. assisted with his arrest. “Our officer was able to gain a confession for both incidents within our city,” says Baldwin Police Chief Charlie Webb.
Through the course of the initial investigation, Dagenhart also was charged with the crime spree in Cornelia.
As he was being arrested, a scuffle broke out between him and police in the Walmart parking lot. Video of the incident captured by Now Habersham shows officers wrestling with Dagenhart on the ground. After they got him into handcuffs, deputies transported Dagenhart to the Habersham County jail.
Jailers booked Dagenhart on a slew of charges including robbery by sudden snatching, 2nd-degree burglary, vandalism to a place of worship, theft of a motor vehicle, obstruction of a law enforcement officer, and possession of a controlled substance. He also had outstanding warrants in Habersham County. Immediately following his arrest, online jail records showed his bond was set at $21,600. It has since been denied.
Chief Webb credits his police officers and those from Cornelia and the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office with stopping the crime spree. He says the case “showed what agencies working together can accomplish.”
The damage to the church is still being assessed. The case remains under investigation.
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