License number leads to arrest in 18 church burglaries

LAUREL ? A Laurel pastor says his 16-year-old grandson helped break a string of church burglaries.

Jones County Sheriff Alex Hodge said that when deputies answered an alarm at the New Testament Church, a witness described a truck - and had its license number. They traced the truck to 24-year-old Roderick Zamora, who is charged with 18 church burglaries in four counties.

The Rev. Milton Branch said the witness was his grandson, Travion "Trey" Hicks.

"I'm very proud of my grandson," said Branch. "I call him the 'crook watcher' now."

Hicks told The Laurel Leader-Call he doesn't think he did anything special. He said he was watching a movie when headlights shone through the window about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday.

"I knew something was up when the driver turned the lights off and stayed parked at the church for a while," he said.

Police said the alarm scared the man off. Hicks said his mother drove behind the truck so he could get the license number.

"I guess she is a hero in all of this, too," he said.

Zamora is accused of breaking into 14 churches in Jones County, two in Forrest County, and one each in Perry and Lamar counties. An online jail roster indicated he remained jailed Saturday in lieu of $60,000 bond. It was not clear whether he had an attorney.

Jones County authorities said he told investigators he took $1,100 to $1,200 over six months in coins and bills.

"According to him, he had a job up until three months ago. He was on probation and said he needed money to pay fines to keep from getting locked up again," sheriff's investigator Jamie Tedford said.

Jones County Assistant District Attorney Dennis Bisnette said Zamora was on five years' probation after pleading guilty in 2009 to a Lamar County church burglary.

"With these other church burglary charges facing him at this time, I'm pretty sure the judge in Lamar County will accept his guilty plea at this point," said Bisnette.

Source: http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120102/NEWS/201020315/1001/RSS01

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