Burglary Suspect Hid for Two Hours Under Vacant House, Oconee Deputies Say

Oconee County Sheriff's deputies on Saturday, Sept. 14, arrested two men on burglary charges after a concerned neighbor noticed strange activity at a vacant house in the 2800 block of Mars Hill Road.

The neighbor called deputies around 4:30 p.m. to report that he'd heard what sounded like a door being kicked in on the property, which he'd known to be vacant for several years.

When deputies arrived to investigate, they spotted a pickup truck loaded with old, rusty metal and other items.  There was also an over-the-toilet shelf unit leaning against the truck that appeared as though it had recently been inside of the house, according to an incident report.

One of the deputies questioned an Athens man, Jeremy Barton Lee, 36, about why he was on the property. He reportedly told them he was working construction nearby and he and a friend named Allen were there to retrieve scrap metal. Lee also admitted that he did not have permission from the property owner to be there or take the scrap metal, according to the report.

Other deputies on scene found signs of forced entry, including a damaged door and glass on the floor. They also noted dust marks around the floor of the toilet where it appeared the shelving unit had been recently and a missing shower head that was later found in the bed of the pickup.  Though Lee reportedly told deputies that he hadn't entered the house, he was taken into custody.

Another suspect who deputies believed had been on the scene was identified as Allen Dixon A'Slinger, 48, a homeless man wanted out of Florida on felony charges with full extradition, according to the report.

Following a tip from Lee that A'Slinger had crawled under the house, deputies examined a crawl space. They called out but at first didn't see anyone.  Then one of the deputies spotted A'Slinger hiding in a corner of the crawl space.  They tried talking to him, but were ignored. After more coaxing, A'Slinger finally emerged  and told deputies his name was "Mike."  Deputies say they found in his possession two IDs, one from Georgia and another from Florida, and neither belonged to him. 

"When asked why did he not come out before, he said he was taking a nap," a deputy wrote in the report. "We spent approximately two hours at this location before making contact with [A'Slinger]."

Both Lee and A'Slinger were booked into the Oconee County Jail on charges of burglary and theft by taking, according to jail records.

A boy who was at the scene was picked up by his mother and the Division of Children and Family Services was notified, which is typical procedure when a child is present during the alleged commission of a crime.