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Sheriff’s Detectives Arrest Burglar in Theft of Items Worth Almost A Half Million Dollars

Release Date: November 28, 2006

A Mississippi man has been arrested for taking designer watches, jewelry, knives, rare coins and bills from a South-East Shelby County home recently.  The four-month investigation headed by Shelby County Deputies, involved law enforcement agencies in three states.

“This is a most significant case when you realize the value of the items taken in this burglary. I commend our detectives for their dedication. We also appreciate the vital assistance our deputies received from the Starkville, Mississippi Police Department, the Okitibbeha, Mississippi Sheriff’s Office and the Gadsen, Alabama Police Department,” said Shelby County Sheriff Mark H. Luttrell, Jr.

On August 12, 2006, just after noon, a house in the 8400 block of Silverwind Drive was burglarized.  A huge collection of watches, knives, rare coins and dollar bills was missing along with jewelry and an undetermined amount of cash.

Shelby County detectives learned that William Arrington, 61, of Starkville, Mississippi, possessed the stolen items.  Shelby County investigators, working jointly with Starkville Police Officers, set up a sting on October 25, 2006, and arrested Arrington as he attempted to sell a designer watch worth $3,000 for only a few hundred dollars.

Shelby County Deputies and officers from the other Mississippi and Alabama law enforcement agencies took out search warrants and found almost 400 designer watches, knives, jewelry and some of the rare coins at a storage facility rented by Arrington in Starkville, Mississippi.  Other items were found in Arrington’s home in Gadsen, Alabama.  In all, the items are worth almost $500,000. 

William Arrington was brought back to Shelby County today and faces charges of Aggravated Burglary and Theft of Property Over $60,000.

Deputies say the investigation is continuing and more arrests are expected.

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