Man arrested for allegedly stealing guns from sheriff’s car, burglarizing ...

Roberts, 23, was charged by the sheriff’s office with theft by receiving stolen property and three counts of burglary by the Danielsville Police Department.

He is being held in the Madison County Jail without bond.
According to Captain Mike Benner, Roberts came to the scene of a Wednesday night wreck on Hwy. 98 West near Old Gin Road just outside Danielsville that involved Madison County investigator Amory “Buck” Scoggins and a female relative of Roberts.

Benner said the woman pulled into the path of Scoggins’ vehicle. She received minor injuries and Roberts apparently came to the scene to check on her.

Scoggins was seriously injured, receiving a broken wrist and fractured pelvis. Benner said Friday that Scoggins will have to undergo hip replacement surgery.

While Benner, Sheriff Lowe and other officers were at the scene of the accident, Roberts apparently observed Lowe removing firearms from Scoggins’ damaged vehicle and placing them into his vehicle.

Lowe and Benner followed the ambulance to Athens Regional Hospital, where they remained with Scoggins until after 2 a.m.

When Lowe returned to his patrol car, he noticed that the center armrest of his vehicle was up, but thought he must have left it that way. On his way home, he noticed that his service revolver was missing, along with other firearms and several other items.

According to an Athens-Clarke County Police report, Lowe told the responding officer, who met him in the parking lot of Central Baptist Church on Danielsville Road, that his vehicle had been broken into at the hospital.

Roberts is also believed to have burglarized Hairmasters Beauty Salon on Grady Avenue in Danielsville later that morning.

Benner said all the weapons, along with other stolen items were recovered at a Danielsville home Thursday after Danielsville Police received a tip.

The informant also told officers that Roberts had visited a relative’s home north of Danielsville. Using this information, deputies launched a day-long manhunt, including an air search by a helicopter.
Roberts was eventually tracked to a car driven by his girlfriend, Donyelle Childers, 25, of a Danielsville address.

Roberts and Childers were taken into custody by Sheriff Lowe Thursday around 5:30 p.m. after Lowe spotted the vehicle, driven by Childers, traveling on Crawford W. Long Street in Danielsville. Lowe pulled the vehicle over and took both suspects into custody without incident. Two small children were also in the vehicle.

Childers has been charged on one count of felony hindering the apprehension of a criminal.