VINTON (WSLS 10) - The Vinton Police Department  have arrested a man in connection to a burglary at the Southern States Cooperative in the town.
Police arrested 27-year-old James Travis Houston in connection to the burglary at the maintenance building at Southern States Cooperative on Walnut Avenue.
It had been broken into, on May 15, and $7,000 to $8,000 worth of equipment had been stolen.
Detectives said that it appeared that Houston may have been familiar with the layout of the building. A few days later he was found to have pawned several of the stolen items at area shops.
Detectives also found that Robert James Lewis had also pawned several items from the burglary at a pawn shop on Williamson Road in Roanoke County.
Both men have been charged with felony obtaining money by false pretense charges and information from Southern States found that Houston had previously worked there.
During the course of the investigation, information received from The Roanoke City Jail and The Roanoke County Jail provided enough information for James Houston to be charged with the burglary of the Southern States Maintenance Building.
Rachel Mountcastle was also charged with felony possession of stolen property after a search warrant was executed on her Jeep. Detective C.J. Froeschl with The Vinton Police Department advised that over $1,000 worth of equipment belonging to Southern States was located in her vehicle.
After warrants were issued for Lewis, he was found to have left Virginia and is believed to be in Pennsylvania. Warrants remain on file for his arrest. The arrests of the other suspects happened in July.
Detective Froeschl says several thousand dollars worth of tools and equipment had been recovered and returned to Southern States. Its Maintenance Department with had to shut down operations until replacement equipment could be purchased to continue operations.