05/12/08
"N.A.B. Links
Burglaries to Hall County Murder Suspect"
Lengthy and thorough investigation
by investigators with the Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics
and Burglary Section linked four burglaries from the Longbranch Rd
area to accused Hall County murderer Donnie G. Poland (41) of
Houschton,Georgia.
The investigation began on April 28th,
when investigators responded to a burglary on Azalea Ridge in Lumpkin
County. Investigators processed the scene and later received two
additional reports of burglary in the Longbranch Rd area. Upon further
inspection investigators discovered one other home in the area had
also been burglarized. Investigators collected evidence from the
scenes, including tire and shoe impressions left by the suspect.
During the burglary of one of the homes, the suspect had taken a cell
phone along with some firearms.
Sgt. Mitchell Salain and
Investigator Wesley Burnett immediately began the process of trying to
track the phone and not long after the burglary, the owner of the
stolen cell phone received a call from the suspect who was using the
stolen phone. Investigators were even able to record a call with the
suspect and through further investigation determined the suspect was
most likely living in the Gainesville area. While investigators
tracked the phone and followed other leads deputies in marked patrol
units increased patrols in the area of Longbranch Rd due to concerns
that the suspect might return to the area.
Investigators coordinated efforts
with Hall County Sheriff’s Office investigators and worked an
average of fourteen hour days throughout the week in attempts to
locate the suspect and recover the property. Once detailed phone
records from the stolen phone finally arrived from the phone carrier,
investigators from Lumpkin County linked the burglaries to Poland and
discovered that he had just been arrested for Murder in Hall County.
Poland is accused in Hall County of killing a home owner, possibly
during the commission of a burglary.
Investigators from Lumpkin County
worked with Hall County investigators to search Poland’s vehicle in
connection with both the murder in Hall County and burglaries in
Lumpkin County. Investigators determined the tread from Poland’s
vehicle appeared to match that collected from the burglary scenes.
Lumpkin County investigators are waiting for Hall County Sheriff’s
Office investigators to complete their investigation of some of Poland’s
personal belongings and tools so they can be compared to other
evidence collected from the scene.
In addition to the murder and
burglary charges in Hall County, Poland will face four burglary
charges in Lumpkin County and is being investigated regarding
additional property crimes in both Lumpkin and Hall.
These types of burglaries are rare
in Lumpkin County and just like the last two years we are on track for
another record low year of burglaries. Burglaries haven’t been
this low in over ten years and when compared to the state for 2007
Lumpkin County averaged 4.04 burglaries per 1000 residents and the
State of Georgia average was 9.12 burglaries per 1000 residents.
Captain Jason Stover
Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office
