Suspects identified in theft case
♦ One suspect is in custody, and the other is still at large.
Two suspects have been identified in a local storage facility theft case, with one arrested and the other still at large.
According to Gordon County Sheriff’s Office reports:
On Monday, Gordon County Sheriff’s Office deputies and detectives responded to the scene of a major burglary at a facility near Calhoun.
While meeting with the business owner, deputies determined that more than 70 storage units had been forcibly entered by cutting padlocks, and a large amount of property had been taken.
Detectives and technicians recovered video footage and physical evidence at the scene, and contacted the owners of the property affected. Still shots posted by local news outlets on social media led to a large number of citizen tips in the case, helping detectives in the identification of the two men from the footage.
Brandon Baggett, 24, of Eton, was arrested after he was found camping near Grassy Mountain in Murray County, while 33-year-old Patrick James Cuzzort, also of Eton, escaped on foot and is currently a fugitive.
Baggett is charged with multiple counts of commercial burglary and entering automobiles to commit theft, while Cuzzort now has warrants for charges of commercial burglary and entering automobiles to commit theft.
Property taken from the storage units was found in two vehicles near the campsite, and
more in a private residence also in Murray County. That property will be processed and returned to the owners.
Evidence has also been found, according to investigators, that connects both men to commercial and residential burglaries in multiple jurisdictions in both Georgia and Tennessee, as well as thefts from state and national park drop boxes. Due to this, state authorities are
also involved in the investigation.
Sheriff Ralston sincerely thanks all of the citizens who provided information to the Sheriff’s Office which facilitated this case being solved, arrests made, and stolen property returned to rightful owners.
Anyone with information that could lead to the arrest is asked to immediately call 911.