Suspect faces additional charges


By RAY LIGHTNER

Journal Staff Writer

David Alan Counts was charged with four burglaries in Perry Monday.

Counts, 18, of Americus confessed to investigators to four burglaries along U.S. 41 in Perry including Hamby Chevrolet, The Westfield Schools, a Texaco under construction and was reportedly found inside New Life of Perry Church by a Houston County Sheriff’s Patrol deputy doing a business check.

Counts has also been charged with six more church burglaries in Americus and Sumter County and a church arson in Americus. Counts reportedly had help in those incidents from two juveniles, a 15-year-old male and a 13-year-old female, both of whom are in custody in Sumter County.

Counts and the 15-year-old are each charged by Sumter County Sheriff’s Office with two counts of burglary for break-ins at Central Baptist Church and Cornerstone Church, according to Major Brett Murray of the Criminal Investigation Division.

“We recovered most of the property taken in our two incidents,” Murray said. “I feel comfortable some from the city was found when he (the 15-year-old) was arrested.”

Americus Police confirmed the two juvenile accomplices were in custody and they are charged along with Counts for the arson of St. Mary’s Catholic Church and four other church buildings burglaries in the city. Americus Police Chief James Green said Counts and the two juveniles are charged with burglaries at First United Methodist Church, Calvary Episcopal Church, St. Mary’s Catholic Church and the former building of Central Baptist Church which is the temporary site of the Department of Family and Children’s Services since the tornado on March 1.

Counts and the juveniles are each charged with four counts of burglary and one count of first-degree arson by the Americus Police. Green said the male remains in custody and female juvenile was taken into custody, but he was unsure of her current status.

Green said most of the stolen items were recovered from the 15-year-old’s home and from Counts’ residence.

The items included musical and electronic gear as well as some candles and religious items from the churches. The only things not recovered were two cell phones taken from DFACS, which Green said could have been thrown away.

Green said detectives also confiscated some Satanic-type material found in the 15-year-olds bedroom including handwritten material, and drawn Satanic symbols and well as some angry written statements, but no weapons.

“He was mad at some individuals at school,” Green said. “There were no threats, just angry writings.”

Cpl. James Williams of the Houston County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division interviewed Counts Monday when Counts confessed to the incidents here.

“At the time, we didn’t know how big this was,” Williams said. Americus and Sumter investigators came up and interviewed Counts on Monday after being notified Counts was in custody. “They were working similar cases,” Williams said.

“We all worked together,” Williams said, “Houston and Perry, as well as Americus and Sumter investigators.”

Counts was arrested Monday about 4:30 a.m., when Deputy Tim Jenkins was on routine patrol conducting business checks.

Jenkins located a broken window at New Life of Perry Church located on South Highway 41 in Perry and found Counts inside the church.

“We wouldn’t have what we have without him,” Williams said of Jenkins.

Counts reportedly made forced entry at each location, throwing a large piece of concrete block through the window at the church. Counts also reportedly forced a door at Hamby, broke windows at the gas station under construction and at Westfield.

Williams said Counts had “done a lot of damage at the school.”