By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
Two McDavid, Fla. men were arrested — one here, one in Florida — after one of them apparently stole a four-wheel ATV from a local business then returned it, and the other later stole the same vehicle again.
According to Atmore Police Department (APD) reports, an officer was sent May 19 to Parker & Sons, a construction contractor located just off U.S. 31, on Nichols Avenue. The company’s security camera footage showed the side-by-side had been stolen twice the previous night.
City detectives, working with Escambia County, Fla. Sheriff’s Office investigators, recovered the all-terrain vehicle at a residence in McDavid. Cody McNeil, 27, and Dennis Edward Comalander, 50, were both eventually arrested.
Police said McNeil stole the utility vehicle just after midnight and returned it about an hour later. Soon after, Comalander returned and stole it. It was found at Comalander’s residence.
Chief Chuck Brooks said the two suspects were apparently not working together, that the thefts represented two separate incidents.
McNeil was arrested May 27 by an Atmore police officer. Comalander was arrested by an ECSO (Fla.) deputy on May 28. Each is charged with one count of first-degree theft of property (motor vehicle).
Comalander and McNeil both remained in the Escambia County Detention Center early Tuesday, June 3.