A Poplar Bluff man may face burglary and stealing charges after he allegedly was caught on surveillance video breaking into the Aad Grotto on Thursday night.
Deputies with the Butler County Sheriff's Department responded to the Aad Grotto after it was discovered the building and a trailer had been broken into, according to Investigator Brandon Lowe.
Aluminum had been stolen off an outside air-conditioning unit, along with other miscellaneous items, which had been taken out of a box trailer behind the building, Lowe said.
Along with the totes of miscellaneous items, Lowe said, cases of soda, a bicycle and a water cooler also were taken.
When deputies viewed the surveillance video, Lowe said, they saw two white males in a silver Dodge Ram pickup pull up at about 11 p.m. Thursday. The men got out and began to go through things.
Lowe said he and investigator Adam Younger went to McCoy's Scrap Yard to see if the suspects may have taken any of the items there.
An employee, Lowe said, was shown a photograph of the suspect truck and identified it as belonging to Donnie Davis Jr. The employee also provided them with Davis' workplace.
Lowe said he and Younger subsequently contacted Davis at his workplace.
After being told of his rights, he "began telling me about other stealing that he had committed ... We also located items in the back of Davis' truck that belonged to the Grotto," Lowe said.
Other items in the bed of Davis' truck were several batteries with their cables cut, said Lowe, who indicated Davis was taken to the sheriff's department, where he again was told of his rights.
"Davis stated that he and (another man who has been identified but not arrested) broke into the Grotto and took those items," Lowe said. "He stated all that he kept that was stolen from the Grotto was a tent and the Mountain Dew soda."
Lowe said Davis reported using a pocket knife to pry open the door at the Aad Grotto.
"That's how he did it (gained entry)," Lowe said.
Davis, Lowe said, also admitted to stealing several batteries (the ones in his truck) off the equipment at Bill and Gene's Rental on Thursday night.
Davis, Lowe said, further reported they had siphoned gasoline from the trucks at New Covenant Church and stole boxes of food from Highland Drive Church of Christ.
Lowe said Poplar Bluff Police Lt. Josh Stewart was contacted regarding the church thefts, but apparently neither had been reported.
According to Chief Deputy Wes Popp, there was a tool box "crammed full" of various motors, suspensions and motor arms for remote-control cars and trucks in Davis' truck. Another tool box, he said, containing various hand tools.
A search warrant reportedly will be sought to process Davis' truck and inventory all that it contains.
Davis, 29, of the 900 block of County Road 309 was arrested Friday on suspicion of burglary and stealing. A warrant, with a $10,000 cash only bond, for probation violation also was issued Friday for Davis.
At the time of his arrest, Davis was on probation, having pleaded guilty in July 2016 to the Class B felony of sale of a controlled substance in Butler County.