AHOSKIE – An observant Ahoskie Police officer on routine patrol resulted in the arrest of a local man on the charges of breaking-and-entering (B&E) and larceny from an Ahoskie business.

Ahoskie Police Chief Troy Fitzhugh reported the Feb. 8 arrest of 37-year-old Theodore Roosevelt Spivey II of 1509 Hexelena Road, Ahoskie.

Spivey faces four felony charges – two counts of safecracking and one count each of B&E of a business and larceny of a business.

He was also charged with three misdemeanors – damage to real property, damage to personal property and resist, delay and obstruct a law enforcement officer.

Spivey was jailed under a $60,000 secured bond. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance today (Tuesday) in Winton.

Speaking with the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald, Ahoskie Police Officer Tyrone Ruffin said he was on routine patrol in the Railroad Street area shortly after 3 a.m. on Feb. 8 when he noticed a suspicious vehicle parked near several places of business.

“I recognized the vehicle and knew it to be driven by Theodore Spivey and I knew Mr. Spivey had previous arrests on B&E’s,” Ruffin said.

After Ruffin called APD Sgt. Andres Snape and Officer J. Mizelle for back-up, the three officers began a foot patrol of the area. At that time, Sgt. Snape noticed a black male in an alley off Railroad Street.

“That person fled on foot and Sgt. Snape followed him, but lost sight of the man after he entered the back door of a business,” Ruffin said.

As Snape and Mizelle entered the building to search for the suspect, Ruffin secured the perimeter.

“I was on foot on North Street when I saw the suspect run out of an abandoned building,” Ruffin stated. “I was able to give chase on foot and overtook the suspect.”

Sgt. Snape noted that during his search of the building in which the suspect first ran, he saw where it had been vandalized.

Later, Ruffin located a small safe, apparently stolen from the building, in a nearby trash can.

“All of the officers did a good job on this case,” Chief Fitzhugh said. “We are in the midst of a rash of breaking-and-entering cases. To date, this is our third arrest and we will continue to aggressively investigate these cases and make arrests until those involved figure out that crime just doesn’t pay here in Ahoskie.”