Nearly $100,000 of stolen property recovered leads to Wilmington arrest

BRUNSWICK COUNTY (WWAY) — 33-year-old Samuel Thomas Mairs of Wilmington was arrested and charged with felony larceny, larceny after breaking or entering, and breaking or entering, after the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office began investigation into the theft of two jet skis and a trailer.

Investigators used a limited vehicle description from a poor-quality image of a possible vehicle at the scene with the Flock automated license plate reader system to identify a vehicle captured on camera near the Alligator Creek Bridge.

Throughout the week, BCSO executed multiple search warrants in two counties, recovering both stolen jet skis and trailer, as well as two additional jet skis, a dump trailer, jet ski trailer, and boat trailer.

The recovered property has an estimated total value of nearly $100,000.

Additional charges against Mairs are pending.

The investigation remains ongoing.