Tools

Victim of Recent Burglary Spree Speaks to CBS 8 News

By Brittany Bivins

Story Created: Oct 10, 2012

Story Updated: Oct 12, 2012

It’s been a week since authorities in Autauga County began a manhunt for three men suspected of burglarizing houses across four counties in Alabama. Now one of the victims is speaking out, saying they need to be brought to justice.

 Keith Pugh has lived in their Bullock County home for almost 50 years, and he's never had a problem with crime, until he came home from an out-of-town trip last Tuesday night. "We pulled in the driveway and noticed that our truck was gone and when I got in the carport, I noticed the storage room door was open, and when I walked in the back porch, I saw the kitchen door open, prised open so I knew then that we'd been robbed,” he said.
 
He and his wife still have not tracked down all their stolen belongings, but Autauga County officials did find the truck at a Texaco station on Highway 82 near Billingsley last Wednesday. Officials say the burglars may have used it to commit several other crimes, including burglaries in Autauga, Montgomery, Bullock and Chilton Counties, over the course of three days.
 
"What they're doing is, they're coming and knocking on your door. If you don't come to your door, they burglarize your home,” said Raymond Rodgers, Sheriff of Bullock County. He says the burglars hit at least half a dozen homes in the Union Springs area last week. 
 
Despite a county-wide manhunt, they’re still on the loose. "Everybody that's been vandalized is real nervous, because the people's not been captured and they think they might come back and you know, do something else,” said Rodgers.
 
Keith Pugh says he’s grateful he and his wife weren’t home when the burglars struck. Now he just wants the people responsible to face what they’ve done. “They just need to be caught and they need to be punished for what they're doing. If they go unpunished, they'll keep doing it. And hopefully, they can get punished strong enough, that they'll quit and go get a regular job,” he said.
 
Officials did find several guns and other merchandise in that truck. They say they're still working to locate the rest of the stolen items. If you have any information about the burglaries or the suspects, you’re asked to please contact the authorities immediately.

On Demand

More On Demand