Two people are facing burglary charges after Mobile police say surveillance video captured them breaking into a vacant Tillmans Corner restaurant building and taking items that did not belong to them.
According to a news release from the Mobile Police Department, officers responded to the former Dick Russell’s location at around 8:30 a.m. on July 29 after a report of a burglary at the business. Dick Russell’s, a longtime Southern-style chicken restaurant chain with roots in the Mobile area, has been closed at the site for some time, but the building remained the target of what police describe as an unauthorized entry.
Surveillance Footage Leads Officers to Suspects
Once on scene, officers reviewed surveillance footage from the property that showed two individuals entering the building without permission. Investigators say the footage also showed the pair removing items from inside the business. Using that video evidence, officers were able to identify the two suspects.
Police identified them as 34-year-old Anthony Hodges and 24-year-old Preston Wiant. Both were arrested and booked on charges of third-degree burglary, a felony under Alabama law that generally applies to unlawfully entering a building with the intent to commit a crime inside, such as theft.
About the Location
Tillmans Corner, an unincorporated community in Mobile County just southwest of the city of Mobile, is a busy commercial corridor along U.S. Highway 90, home to numerous restaurants, retail centers, and other businesses. Vacant or former commercial buildings in high-traffic areas like this one can sometimes become targets for break-ins, particularly when they sit unused between tenants, underscoring the value of surveillance systems in helping police quickly identify suspects after a crime is reported.
What Comes Next
Hodges and Wiant were booked into custody following their arrests. As with any pending criminal case, both suspects are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. The Mobile Police Department has not released further details on the specific items reported taken from the property or on the ongoing status of the case. Southall News will provide updates on this story as additional information becomes available from law enforcement or the Mobile County court system.