Sheriff Urges Scotland County Residents and Business Owners to Invest in Video Surveillance
By Echo Menges
Scotland County Sheriff Bryan Whitney is urging local residents and business owners to invest in video surveillance as the spring thievery season begins to ramp up.
Just last week, the Sheriff investigated a series of burglaries at the Memphis Farm & Home store and the New 4 You Consignments/Fabric Boutique store, and an attempted burglary at B’s Car Wash – all located in the City of Memphis.
According to court documents, entry was made at the businesses through doors that were similarly damaged – possibly forced open with a metal bar or pole.
At the Memphis Farm & Home and the New 4 You/Fabric Boutique, roughly $400 was stolen at each location during the burglaries.
The Farm & Home store did have surveillance equipment, which was also taken by the burglar and later recovered by the Sheriff after inspecting video surveillance captured by neighboring businesses, which led the Sheriff to his suspect – Dillon Leon Dotson, 26, of Centerville, IA.
According to the Sheriff, Dotson allegedly confessed to all three crimes after he was taken into custody and gave the location of the stolen surveillance system that did allegedly capture Dodson in the act of the crime.
“These crimes were solved in a matter of hours, due to surveillance. I’m urging all businesses and home owners to invest in security cameras,” Sheriff Bryan Whitney told the Memphis Democrat.
Dotson was taken into custody and booked into the Scotland County Jail on Monday, May 1, on a warrant from Appanoose County, IA. He is also facing two felony counts of burglary in the second degree, Class D felonies, one count of attempted burglary, a Class E felony, one count of stealing $750 or more, a Class D felony, and one count of possession of a controlled substance, a Class D felony in Scotland County.
He is scheduled to appear in court for an initial appearance on case No. 23SE-CR00007 before Judge Kimberly Nicoli on Tuesday, May 30, at the Scotland County Courthouse.
Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
