By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
An Atmore man was taken into custody May 30, charged in connection with the theft last year of a motor vehicle in Escambia County, Fla.
Atmore Police Department Sgt. Darrell McMann confirmed the arrest of Johnny Wayne White, 40, who is accused of getting rid of the stolen vehicle by having it crushed at an Atmore recycling center.
White’s involvement in the case was confirmed October 23, 2021, when APD officers were sent to the recycling center. They met with the owner of the stolen automobile, who reported he had seen his vehicle there the previous day.
The officers met at the junkyard with an Escambia County, Fla. investigator assigned to the original theft case. The lawmen discovered during their investigation that the vehicle had already been compressed into an indistinguishable mass of metal and that the suspect, White, is the person who dropped it off for crushing.
Reports show that the Florida deputy was able to obtain an arrest warrant against White for the auto theft, while an APD detective obtained a warrant charging White here with one count of first-degree receiving stolen property, due to the vehicle having been driven across state lines.
White remained in the Escambia County Detention Center late Monday, June 6.