AHOSKIE – The keen eye of a Hertford County Sheriff’s Deputy has led to the arrest of a local man allegedly involved in the theft of several items from a business in Pitt County.

Hertford County Sheriff Juan Vaughan said 27-year-old Darell Jamel Beale of River Street in Murfreesboro is believed to be the person responsible for breaking into and stealing items from Meineke Muffler Service in Greenville. Beale is currently being held under a $40,000 secured bond in the Hertford County Jail on the charges of possession of stolen property, possession of burglary tools, and driving while license were revoked.

Vaughan added that the case is under further investigation by the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office.

The arrest came in the early morning hours of Thursday when HCSO Investigator Dexter Hayes, while on patrol in the area of Fire Tower Road and NC 561 near the Ahoskie Inn, spotted a male standing outside a 1994 Chevrolet van on the side of the road near Colony Tire. Vaughan said once the male saw Hayes, he attempted to get in the van and leave, but Hayes was able to detain the man and summon for back-up.

“In plain view inside the van, he (Hayes) could clearly see several boxes containing mufflers, several brand new tires, a motor hoist, and different tools and sockets,” said Vaughan. “There was also a pressure washer in the back of the van.”

Vaughan added that Hayes also discovered a pair of black gloves, a ski mask and a pry bar inside the van.

Hayes then contacted local law enforcement agencies to see if they had any reported break-ins involving the items found inside the van. Meanwhile, a Colony Tire employee arrived at the scene and verified that none of the items were theirs and that the business was secure.

“Mr. Beale told my investigator (Hayes) that he had been to Greenville to see a girl and that he had purchased the items found in the van from a flea market in Tarboro,” Vaughan said. “However, he could not provide any type of documentation showing that he had purchased those items.

“Further, he told Investigator Hayes to just give him a citation for DWLR (driving while license revoked) and let him go because we would never find out where that stuff (property) came from,” the Sheriff added. “Well, we did find out where it came from.”

Vaughan said that effort came thanks to putting out a BOLO (Be On The Lookout) to law enforcement agencies in a 200 mile radius of Hertford County to check and see if they had any break-ins/thefts involving muffler and tire shops.

“We received a reply from Pitt County and we sent them photos of the items discovered in Mr. Beale’s van. They verified the items as stolen from Meineke Muffler Service,” Vaughan stated. “That’s just good police work by Dexter Hayes. After discovering that the crime did not occur locally, he went the extra mile and put out the information to other agencies in our region and got a hit back from Pitt County. I commend Investigator Hayes for his outstanding work in this case.”