MONROE COUNTY, Ala. — The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office has arrested one suspect and is searching for a second in connection with a theft at a rural farm in the county. Maranda Dumas has been arrested and charged with fourth-degree theft of property. Investigators are also looking for Cody Garvin in connection with the same incident.
According to the sheriff’s office, Dumas and Garvin entered the property of Rockwood Farm, LLC and stole items from the farm’s farmstand. The case remains active, and anyone with information on Garvin’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
The charge explained
Fourth-degree theft of property is the lowest tier of Alabama’s theft statutes, applied when the value of the property involved does not exceed $500. Under the Alabama Criminal Code, that makes the offense a Class A misdemeanor, the most serious category of misdemeanor in the state, punishable by up to a year in jail and fines if a conviction is obtained. More serious charges can follow when the value of stolen goods rises above that threshold or when aggravating circumstances apply.
In cases like this one, investigators often begin with the lowest charge supported by the evidence and adjust as the total value of stolen items is tallied. That matters for the second suspect as well: once Garvin is in custody, prosecutors will evaluate his role in the incident separately, and the charges he faces could differ from Dumas’s depending on what investigators find. Warrants are typically sworn out based on statements, physical evidence and witness accounts gathered at the scene.
When theft hits a working farm
A theft from a farmstand may sound minor compared with other crimes the sheriff’s office investigates, but for a working farm it cuts directly into income and morale. Small farms across south Alabama sell produce, eggs, plants and handmade goods through roadside stands, honor-system coolers and on-farm markets. Those operations run on thin margins, and the cash box at a farmstand is often the most direct revenue the farm sees from its daily harvest.
The impact goes beyond the money taken. Farm families who open their property to customers are trusting strangers to respect the operation, and a break-in that forces a farmer to lock things up, install cameras or close the stand changes the character of the business. Rural communities tend to take such thefts personally, and sheriff’s offices in counties like Monroe often say that tips from neighbors are what solve them.
The sheriff’s office investigation
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is the primary law enforcement agency for the unincorporated parts of the county, a large and mostly rural jurisdiction where deputies cover long stretches of two-lane highway between communities like Monroeville, Beatrice, Frisco City and Uriah. Property crimes in that environment are investigated much like anywhere else — deputies document the scene, collect any available physical evidence, and interview witnesses — but identification often depends on residents recognizing the suspects or their vehicle.
Once a suspect is identified and a warrant is issued, deputies work leads on the person’s location, checking known addresses, family connections and employers. Dumas’s arrest came out of that process. For Garvin, investigators are still following leads, and the sheriff’s office has put out the word that the public can help close that gap.
How residents can help
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information on Cody Garvin’s whereabouts to come forward. Residents can contact the sheriff’s office directly by phone during business hours or through its dispatch line at any hour. Those who prefer to remain anonymous can ask that their name not be associated with the tip, though investigators note that the more detail a tip contains — a location, a time, a vehicle description — the more useful it is.
Sheriff’s offices across rural Alabama regularly credit public tips with solving property crimes, particularly in counties where deputies cover wide territories and cannot watch every road. Someone who spots Garvin, knows where he has been staying, or saw a vehicle leaving Rockwood Farm around the time of the theft can provide information that turns a weeks-long search into a single arrest. Deputies also remind residents not to attempt to confront or detain a suspect themselves — observation and a phone call are the safe and effective path.
Monroe County and its farm economy
Monroe County, anchored by the county seat of Monroeville, remains one of Alabama’s larger counties by land area, with a landscape of pine forests, row crops, cattle pasture and small family farms. Agriculture’s footprint there has changed over the decades, but local growers still supply produce stands and markets across the region, and farmstands remain a seasonal fixture along county roads. The county is known to readers far beyond Alabama as the home of Harper Lee and the childhood setting she shared with Truman Capote, but the daily life of the county still turns on its rural economy.
Crimes against farms draw attention precisely because that economy is so visible. Equipment, fuel, livestock and crops all represent months of work, and even small thefts from a farmstand represent a breach that rural families feel directly. Local prosecutors treat farm theft cases seriously, and community members often follow them closely when names and charges are announced.
What happens next in the case
Dumas will be processed through the Monroe County Jail and appear before a judge for an initial hearing, where bond conditions will be set. misdemeanor cases of this kind are typically resolved through the district court, either by plea or by trial, with the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office representing the state. If Garvin is arrested, his case will proceed on a parallel track, and the two defendants’ outcomes may differ based on their respective roles.
The sheriff’s office has not released a detailed list of the items taken or their total value, and investigators may decline to discuss specifics while the case is open. What the office has made clear is the basic outline: two suspects entered the property of Rockwood Farm, LLC, took items from the farmstand, and one of them remains at large. The investigation continues until that second arrest is made.
For the owners of Rockwood Farm, the case is a reminder of a hard reality of rural commerce — that opening a gate to the public also opens the property to risk. For the rest of Monroe County, it is a call to pay attention. Deputies have asked for the public’s help finding Cody Garvin, and in a county where neighbors know each other, that help is often only a phone call away.
Preventing farm theft across south Alabama
Sheriff’s offices and farm bureaus across south Alabama have long urged growers to take basic steps that deter theft before it happens. Lighting around stands and storage buildings, trail cameras pointed at entrances, locked cash boxes emptied several times a day, and fencing with clearly marked property lines all make a farm a harder target. Extension service agents who work with small farmers also recommend keeping a photographic inventory of equipment and goods, which speeds both police reports and insurance claims after a loss.
Neighbors are another layer of protection. In rural counties, the person most likely to notice a strange vehicle parked at a farm in the middle of the day is the family down the road. Deputies encourage residents to note license plate numbers, vehicle descriptions and times, and to report anything suspicious right away rather than waiting to see whether it turns out to be harmless. That early call is often what allows a deputy to intercept a theft in progress instead of investigating one after the fact.
The court process Dumas will face
After an arrest on a Class A misdemeanor charge like fourth-degree theft of property, the defendant is booked, photographed and held for a bond hearing. A judge sets bond based on the charge, the defendant’s record and ties to the community, and any history of failing to appear in court. From there, the case moves to the district court docket, where defense attorneys and prosecutors negotiate resolutions or set the case for trial.
Restitution is a common component of resolutions in theft cases: defendants can be ordered to repay the value of what was stolen as part of a plea agreement or after a conviction. For a farm like Rockwood, that process can eventually return some of the loss, though it rarely covers the time and disruption the incident caused. Prosecutors also consider prior offenses when deciding whether to offer diversion programs or seek the maximum penalty.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office says the search for Cody Garvin remains a priority, and the office has thanked residents who have already come forward with information. Anyone who can help should contact the sheriff’s office, and those with details about the theft itself — what was taken, when, and who was involved — are equally encouraged to speak up while the investigation is still open.