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Bath deputy helps bust crime ring
Local burglaries lead to arrests elsewhere
BY CHARLES GARRATT • STAFF WRITER
 | | Law enforcement officers from Bath, Fluvanna and Albemarle spent most of two days photographing, cataloging and hauling to storage guns, jewelry, tools and other stolen property found at residence near Palmyra in Fluvanna county. Included in the property recovered are most of the items stolen last Monday at two locations in Bath County. The investigation of those breakins by Bath Lieutenant Noel "Timmy" Dunnagan led to the arrest of two men and the discovery of the hoard of stolen property suspected to have come from over 50 burglaries in eight counties. Photos courtesy Fluvanna County Sheriff) |
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WARM SPRINGS - Quick work by Bath County Sheriff's Department investigator Lt. Noel "Timmy" Dunnagan led to the arrest Friday in Fluvanna county of two men suspected of being a major burglary ring spreading across eight Virginia counties.
Mark Wayne Shifflettand Ronald Lee Morris were arrested Friday evening as they left their residence near Palmyra. Both men were charged with possession of cocaine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Further charges are likely.
 | | Mark Wayne Shifflett(left) and Ronald Lee Morris are being held in the regional jail in Orange on charges of possession of cocaine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon after an investigation begun in Bath County last Monday led investigators to the home near Palmyra where the two men lived. Law enforcement officersbelieve the two men are responsible for over 50 burglaries in eight counties. Additional charges against the men are pending. |
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"The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are anticipated," said Corp. David Wells of the Fluvanna sheriff's department. The search of the property following the arrest recovered "a sizable amount of stolen property, including firearms, jewelry, tools, electronics and musical equipment," Wells said. Also seized were three vehicles and a travel trailer.
Shifflettand Morris are suspected of being involved in more than 50 burglaries in eight Virginia counties. They are being held without bail at the Central Virginia Regional Jail.
The pair was characterized by Dunnagan and Fluvanna sheriff Ryant Washington as "part of a well organized burglary ring." Dunnagan assisted in the cataloging of hundreds of items recovered at the scene over a two-day period.
 | | Among the two-dozen stolen firearms recovered during the execution of the search warrant obtained by Bath investigator Lt. Noel "Timmy" Dunnagan were these revolvers. The two men the major eight county burglary ring were armed when apprehended leaving near Palmyra where the stolen property was recovered. There was so many stolen found, the property had to be stored at sheriff's officesin two counties and at the regional jail. (Photos courtesy the Fluvanna Sheriff's department) |
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The case began on Monday, March 31. Dunnagan responded to reports of two daytime burglaries on Route 42 in southeastern Bath County. One breaking and entering occurred at a residence and one at a hunt camp. The occupant of the residence was not at home at the time of the burglary.
Dunnagan said more than $3,000 worth of property was stolen from the residence. The door was forced open and a wide variety of items stolen, he said. The value of the property stolen at the hunt camp has not yet been determined.
After checking with area law enforcement, Dunnagan determined he needed to widen his investigation, he said. He had to go through a lot calls but was able to begin tracking the suspects through use of the credit cards stolen at the residence.
"By Monday evening I had a couple of places where they had been," Dunnagan said. He hit pay dirt when he learned a store in Charlottesville had video of the two men making a transaction with the stolen card.
With help from Detectives Giles and Reeves of the Albemarle County police department, the video was retrieved from the store, still photos were extracted and broadcast on Charlottesville area TV station NBC 29 last Thursday, April 3.
One of the security camera photos obtained from a store had a shot of the vehicle, Dunnagan said, but while the license plate was visible, it wasn't readable. The image was sent to the state crime lab for enhancement, but the case was solved before the enhanced photo was available, Dunnagan said.
On Friday, a citizen called the Crime Stoppers line with the names of the two men in the broadcast photos. Dunnagan and the Fluvanna County sheriff's department obtained a search warrant for an address on Cedar Hill Road in a subdivision west of Palmyra. Palmyra is the county seat of Fluvanna County, located east of Albemarle County.
Fluvanna County deputies staked out the residence and stopped Shifflettand Morris as they were leaving about 7:15 p.m. last Friday. The men, both convicted felons, had cocaine and firearms in the vehicle and were charged with those crimes pending investigation of the burglaries.
Dunnagan said he worked with Fluvanna deputies and the Albemarle police that night and most of Saturday to collect and catalog all the stolen property. Buildings and trailers were found packed full. Nearly two dozen firearms were recovered including two from the Bath County burglaries, Dunnagan said.
Bath County sheriff Larry Norfleetsaid he is "very proud" of Dunnagan. "With his diligence and hard work, Bath County is a safer place to live and play."
The sheriff's department will seek indictments for Shifflettand Morris. The two remain jailed without bond following a preliminary hearing Monday on the cocaine and firearms charges. Other jurisdictions will likely fileadditional charges related to the burglaries as the investigation continues.
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