Crime & Safety

Oconee Day Care Burglarized, Van Stolen

Officials believe culprits are same two men who led police on a chase in a stolen Mazda on Monday.

Update: A citizen spotted the van in Athens near the Howard Johnson on West Broad Street, the Oconee County Sheriff's Office reported around 9:30 p.m.  Tuesday. Authorities are processing it for evidence and hope to return it quickly to the day care.

"We have no reason to believe the suspects are still in the area," a Facebook post stated.

Original:

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The day care on Jennings Mill Road was broken into early Tuesday morning, and cash and a van was stolen, according to the .

Officials believe the people behind the break-in are the same men who led officers on on Monday afternoon.

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Law enforcement set up a perimeter around 7:30 p.m. Monday and combed the area for the two white male suspects after the abandoned car was spotted by a citizen at a Jennings Mill subdivision, Chief Deputy Lee Weems of the Oconee County Sheriff's Office said.  A K-9 unit assisted in the search but became distracted by a herd of deer.  One resident of another Jennings Mill address reported seeing two men in his yard around 10 p.m., Weems added.  Deputies remained in the area overnight, he said.

Oconee County Sheriff's personnel were examining a broken window in the back of the building and video from surveillance cameras at the day care on Tuesday morning. Video showed suspects on the property about 1 a.m.

The Sheriff's Office Facebook page has more details and a photo of the stolen van, which has the Georgia license tag PB7158.

The day care was open and operating normally.

"The police have checked every inch of the building," said Corinne Bundy, the center's owner since December 2003. "It is clear for the kids, safe for the kids.  They were cordoned off until the building was checked, so everything was safe."

Bundy said this was the first time any crime like this has been committed at the day care since it opened 11 years ago.

About $1,000 in cash was stolen along with the van, officials said. Keys to the larger bus owned by the center were damaged when thieves attempted to steal it first.

The bus and van are used daily to pick up kids from area schools and bring them to after-school programs, Bundy said. The day care is considering options such as renting buses to continue this activity.

Commerce police report the Mazda was stolen on Oct. 18 from an Enterprise Rent Cars after the business was burglarized.  The keys were taken during the burglary and used to steal the car, Lt. Ken Harmon said.

Contact local authorities with any information.

Check back for updates as new information becomes available.


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