AHOSKIE – While stopping short of saying they have &uot;the&uot; man in custody, the Ahoskie Police are reporting a possible break in a recent rash of breaking and entering crimes.

Late last week, Theodore Roosevelt Spivey, 33 of 108 Bertie Park Lane, Ahoskie, was arrested following a report of a breaking and entering at a Main Street business.

Ahoskie Police Chief Troy Fitzhugh said a call was received at 3:20 a.m. on Friday. APD Officer Andres Snape, joined by Deputy Matt Bradley of the Hertford County Sheriff’s Office, responded to the scene. There, witnesses identified Spivey as the suspect and pointed the officers towards the direction of his travel.

Spivey was arrested a short time later in the area of First and Maple streets.

Immediately after taking the suspect into custody, Snape and Bradley returned to the crime scene with Spivey. There, Deputy Bradley noticed what appeared to be fresh footprints on the ground along with a substance believed to be tar.

Armed with that information, the officers checked out Spivey’s shoes, noting they matched the footprints left at the scene. Additionally, tar was discovered on the bottom of Spivey’s shoes.

Spivey was charged with felonious burglary and taken to the Hertford County Jail under a $10,000 cash bond. Also, Spivey was served with a warrant from Bertie County dealing with a probation violation.

When asked if Spivey was a suspect in at least three other recent break-ins of Ahoskie businesses, Fitzhugh said his department’s investigation continues into those crimes.

&uot;I would like to commend Officer Snape and Deputy Bradley for their outstanding work in this particular case,&uot; Fitzhugh said. &uot;They made quick work of this crime, using their observation skills to link the suspect to the crime scene.&uot;