Three individuals were arrested on Tuesday, December 2, 2008, on numerous felony charges stemming from an ongoing investigation into several residential burglaries. Over the past month the Sheriff’s Office has received five complaints about residential burglaries in the Watson Homestead Subdivision, north of Cross City on County Road 351.

The Sheriff’s Office immediately began to investigate the burglaries and developed multiple leads in the case. On Sunday, November 30, 2008, deputies and investigators were able to recover over five thousand dollars worth of stolen items from a location in which Russell Brock had been residing. During the investigation over the next few days, it was learned that Garrick Sears had accompanied Brock in performing some of the residential burglaries. Investigators attempted to locate Brock and Sears, but were unable to find the suspects.

Sears turned himself in to investigators at the Dixie County Jail on Tuesday, December 2, 2008, and cooperated with the investigation of the burglaries. When Sears arrived at the jail, he returned items that had been stolen from one of the residential burglaries. Brock’s whereabouts were determined and the Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance of the Department of Corrections, canine unit, was able to find a possible location.

During the search for Brock, two males fled out the back door of yet another home that was being burglarized. After a foot pursuit of approximately one mile, Brock and Cory Sears were found hiding in a palmetto patch. When officers confronted the two suspects, they physically resisted arrest. A loaded semi-automatic handgun, that had been stolen in the burglary, was found a short distance from where the pursuit ended.

Arrested were Russell Brock, age 20, of Cross City, Garrick Sears, age 18, of Cross City and Cory Sears, age 17, of Old Town. Brock was charged with Armed Burglary, two counts of Burglary, three counts of Grand Theft, Resisting an Officer with Violence and Possession of less than 20 Grams of Cannabis.

He is currently being held in the Dixie County Jail on a $175,000 Bond. Garrick Sears was charged with Armed Burglary, Grand Theft and Dealing in Stolen Property. He is currently being held in the Dixie County Jail on a $175,000 Bond. Cory Sears was charged with Burglary of a Structure, Resisting an Officer with Violence, Dealing in Stolen Property and Obstruction of Justice. He was released to the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice.

The Sheriff’s Office is continuing the investigation and is in the process of recovering stolen items that had been sold by the suspects.