Early on the morning of July 4, Pike County deputies made contact with a juvenile male sitting in a blue Chevrolet pickup truck sitting on the side of Alabama Highway 130. Before long, two other men approached the truck.

“Because of the circumstances, deputies searched the truck and found two handguns,” said Capt. Bob Williamson. “There was a barn across the road, so the deputies got that man up and he found he had a handgun missing from his barn – one of the handguns turned out to be his gun.”

Williamson said the trio also stole copper wire and tubing from the barn.

Deputies arrested the two adults – Scotty Strickland, 19, of Eufaula, and Johnathan Frank LeCroy, 28, of Banks – as well as the juvenile and charged them with fourth-degree theft of property in the case, a misdemeanor. But Williamson said that wasn’t the only stop the suspects made that night.

“From there, we interviewed them and found out from all three that they had stopped two other places on Highway 130 earlier that morning,” Williamson said. “They went into some shop-like buildings and took long swords, several coils of copper tubing and wire. Then another half-mile down the road, there was a metal shop building where they stole a chainsaw and miscellaneous tools. They also broke in the back door of an unoccupied mobile home and stole electronics, jewelry and other personal items.”

In addition to the string of Independence Day crimes, Williamson said the three confessed to stealing 15 radiators and 10 car batteries from a residence on County Road 4408 Sunday night.

In all, the two adults were charged with two counts each of third-degree burglary, one count of fourth-degree theft of property, carrying a concealed weapon and possession of stolen property. The juvenile was charged with one county of third-degree burglary and fourth-degree theft of property.

For the adults, the third-degree burglary charges are Class C Felonies each punishable by 1 to 10 years in prison.