Cory Riner
Staff writer
ST. PAULS — Three St. Pauls men are charged with crimes this week that include the burning of a house and a barn.
Brandon Tyler Jackson, 17, of Elizabeth Street, Cody Austin Benton, 18, of McLean Street, and Donnie Ray Blanks, 21, of Watts Dairy Road, are each charged with two counts of felony breaking and entering to a motor vehicle, two counts of misdemeanor larceny, three counts of misdemeanor injury to personal property, two counts of felony burning certain buildings, and felony burning personal property, according to sheriff’s Lt. Brian Duckworth. Blanks had previously worked as a junior volunteer firefighter, but Duckworth did not want to disclose the department.
He said they caused almost $60,000 worth of damage during two days of crimes.
On Sunday at about 10 p.m., Jackson, Benton and Blanks caused more than $2,000 of damage to a track hoe near Barker Ten Mile Road that is owned by Rem Services, according to Duckworth. The next night, on Monday, that damaged a loader that belongs to Trent Locklear of West Great Marsh Church Road, breaking its windows and stealing oil. Duckworth said they then destroyed a barn at the intersection of West Great Marsh Church Road and Coy Road by burning it to the ground. The barn and its contents were valued at about $30,000.
Duckworth said they then went to Mary C Road and broke a gate owned by DPT Land Company, causing about $100 damage, and then drove to St. Pauls and mixed the oil from the loader with gasoline and used the mixture to set fire to and destroy a vacant house on the 4000 block of East Great Marsh Church Road.
Duckworth said the house, which was owned by Amy Dawson, was valued at $27,500.
Now maybe everyone will see the prejudice in RobCo.