Suspect arrested in break-in, burglary of library

By Paul Keane

The Wayne County News

A man has been arrested while roughly 85 percent of the items stolen 
have been recovered in the weekend burglary of the Waynesboro-Wayne 
County Library.

Cordarius Montre Johnson, 31, was booked into the Wayne County Adult 
Detention Center and was begin charged with commercial burglary. 
According to officials, Johnson was originally from Purvis but was 
living with a local resident at the time of his arrest.

Waynesboro Police Department Investigations Commander said multiple 
officers were involved in solving the case.

Officer Mark Smith was called to the library at 11:15 a.m. Saturday and 
found that items had been moved around the facility but nothing had been 
removed. Later that day, Library Director Patsy C. Brewer alerted police 
that a back door had been propped open with a bag.

On Monday, it was found that numerous items --- including cash --- had 
been stolen from the library. Officers and investigators arrived and 
discovered that someone had come through the ceiling and immediately 
switch off the main power to the entire facility, neutralizing the alarm 
and camera systems.

Taken for the facility were multiple computers, the coin operated boxes 
from the copy machines, money in an envelope designated for the Friends 
of the Library along with nearly every computer in the facility. In 
addition, various items from the museum were taken, including a number 
of letter jackets.

Later Monday, Police Chief Holt Ross encountered a stack of items in a 
wooded area behind the library. He also encountered a black male who 
fled the scene. Ross pursued him on foot but the suspect escaped into 
the woods. During the pursuit, the suspect shed a red jacket that Ross 
said was a Wayne Central letterman jacket from the 1950s.

On Monday night, officers responded to calls of a black male setting 
fires behind homes not far from the library. When officers arrived at 
theta scene, the suspect fled into the woods again. Just before 10 p.m., 
officers were called out again for the same reason.

At around 8 a.m. Tuesday, Officer Neal Street responded to a call of a 
black male standing in the road and yelling at passing vehicles. He was 
taken into custody.

"While we were talking to him, he kept pushing things down in his 
pockets," Hopkins said. "His pockets were bulging way and I asked him to 
remove his hands from his pockets.

"As he began to take one of his hands out, money and keys fell out. We 
later found that he had about $500 in cash and coins stuffed into his 
pockets."

After being taken into custody, Investigator Shawn Gray interviewed him.

"He admitted to starting the fires," Gray said. "When I brought up the 
library incident, he avoided talking about it.

"He did admit to encountering Chief Ross and running from him."

Hopkins said it is possible that Johnson was hiding in the attic of the 
library leading up to the incident, and that he came down and was able 
to elude cameras and alarms long enough to hit the main switch on the 
electrical breaker box.

"On Wednesday or Thursday of last week, Ms. Brewer said she encountered 
a black male fitting the description wandering around the library," 
Hopkins said. "He was walking around the office area and looking at the 
control panels.

"Ms. Brewer stopped him and got him to leave at that time."

All of the recovered items are being sent to the Mississippi Forensic 
Lab to see if fingerprints match the suspect, along with possible DNA 
being extracted. Hopkins said depending on how quickly the lab can 
process the items will depend on when the library can have the items 
back. He estimated that could take up to a month or longer.