Two arrested, stolen items recovered after break-ins in Whiteville

WHITEVILLE, NC (WWAY) — Two men are in jail after police say they broke in and stole items from businesses in Whiteville.

Dennis Edward Barnhill and Joshua Ronald Warren are charged with three counts of felony breaking and entering, three counts of felony larceny, and three counts of misdemeanor damage to property.

Whiteville Police Department responded to a call of a breaking and entering in progress at Discount Builders Supply early Wednesday, but no one was there. Police say there was damage to the building from the burglary.

Another call of a breaking and entering came in around 8:15 a.m. at Premiere Mini Storage where staff said several power tools were missing.

The local pawnshops were notified of the missing items.

At 11 a.m. officers received information that Barnhill and Warren were attempting to pawn some of the reported items. Officers then responded and locate the offenders where they were detained for questioning. During interviews, the two confessed to the officers about what happened and where the stolen items were.

Detectives found that another local business the Auto Spa Car Wash was burglarized where a pressure washer was stolen.

Sgt. Aaron Herring was able to recover most of the stolen property and return the items to the owners.

The Investigation is still underway to attempt to recover more stolen property.

If you know any information please contact Whiteville Police Investigations Unit at (910) 642-5111.

“We are thankful for the assistance from our citizens that helped us solve these crimes in such a timely manner and even more pleased we were able to return most of the stolen items to the owners”.