UPDATED: Hiawassee Antique Mall burglary suspect arrested, previously targeted shop

HIAWASSEE, Ga. – Nathan Brice Garrett, 31, was arrested in Alabama on theft charges after allegedly pawning items stolen from Hiawassee Antique Mall during an early morning burglary, Sunday, Nov. 3.

According to Hiawassee Police Department, a white male wearing a mask entered the antique store through a broken window, stealing an undisclosed amount of merchandise. The incident was captured on a surveillance camera.

Of interest, Garrett was previously arrested in connection with a burglary at the same location.

On August 17, 2017, at 6:04 pm, two Hiawassee Police Department officers responded to the area of Hiawassee Antique Mall in reference to a burglary in progress. Upon their arrival, the officers were told by witnesses that the suspect fled on foot into the wooded area behind what was once Fred’s store.

With the assistance of the Towns County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and the Towns County Fire Department, a perimeter was established around the area where Garrett was seen fleeing. TCSO’s bloodhound quickly picked up a scent and lead officers into the wooded area. Shortly thereafter, Garrett was seen fleeing across Bell Creek Rd behind McDonald’s.

As officers closed in on Garrett, the suspect entered the water and began to swim into Lake Chatuge. With Garrett in the water, Towns County Fire and Rescue was requested to launch their boat from Station 1 in the event that a rescue was required. According to law enforcement, Garrett attempted to swim to several docks but was met by officers at each of them. The suspect finally exited the lake in the area of the Towns County Senior Center, where Garrett was placed into custody without further incident.

Garrett was listed as a Hayesville, NC, resident at the time of his 2017 arrest.

Hiawassee Police Department is expected to release additional details on the recent arrest in coming days.

UPDATED, 11/25/19:  Official Press Release from Hiawassee Police Department:

On November 3, 2019, at 4:00 am, a masked burglar forced entry into the
Hiawassee Antique Mall and stole a large amount of jewelry from several different vendors.
Since then, the Hiawassee Police Department has been working diligently to identify the burglar
and solve the case. Several leads were developed during the investigation, but a breakthrough
came when Nathan Brice Garrett was discovered to have been in the store 12 hours prior to the
burglary.

Garrett has previously been convicted of burglary after his unsuccessful attempt in 2017 to
burglarize the Hiawassee Antique Mall. He was caught red-handed breaking through the wall of
the building and then led police on a foot pursuit which ended after he swam out into Lake
Chatuge in an attempt to avoid capture. Garrett was arrested, convicted of burglary, and
sentenced to five years of probation.

While investigating Garrett, it was discovered that he had sold jewelry to several pawn shops in
the Auburn, Alabama area, where he currently resides. The jewelry was identified as that taken
during the November 3 rd burglary. The Hiawassee Police Department secured arrest warrants
for the charges of Burglary 2 nd Degree and Criminal Damage to Property 2 nd Degree, and the
Auburn Police Department was put on notice. On November 21, 2019, Garrett was arrested by
the Auburn Police Department at Auburn Pawn Shop when he returned for the second time to
sell more of the stolen jewelry.

“Garrett was the first person to come to mind due to his prior burglary attempt at that location,”
stated Chief Smith. “However, it wasn’t until video of Garrett was discovered by the Antique Mall
owners, that we were able to place him at the scene of the crime. We thank them for the many
hours they spent reviewing security camera footage. We also wish to thank the Auburn and
Opelika Police Departments for their assistance in recovering stolen property and capturing
Garrett.”

Nathan Brice Garrett is currently in the custody of the Lee County Alabama Sheriff’s Office,
awaiting extradition to Towns County. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of
law.

 

Related Archive: The search continues for a second suspect involved in an alleged shoplifting incident at Hiawassee Antique Mall.