BROOKHAVEN — Police officers with the Brookhaven Police Department chased down a male suspect on foot Tuesday afternoon. The man was wanted in connection with a robbery of the Star Mart in Star Town Monday night, police chief Kenneth Collins said.

Jonathon Alexander Wilson was finally captured in the area of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Williams Street Tuesday. Wilson is being charged with strong armed robbery. Video footage from the Star Mart was published on Facebook showing the suspect attempting to take a bag from a victim.

“I want to thank the public for their help,” Collins said. “Only through working together can we keep the crime down. Thank you for information and tips.”

Civic Center Vandals

Collins said the department in coordination with the sheriff’s department were able to make headway on the vandalism at the Lincoln County Civic Center. Detective Jonathan Hart and Assistant Police Chief Clint Earls and sheriff deputies were able to recover the stolen camouflaged Kubota side-by-side Tuesday.

Over two separate days, juveniles broke into the civic center vandalizing mirrors and taking side-by-sides for a joyride. They returned this past weekend and stole the camouflaged Kubota side-by-side.

“A group of kids in the area are committing these crimes,” Collins said. “We are working with the sheriff’s department to find the kids’ parents and charge the parents.”

What little camera footage the civic center had of the vandalism identified the suspects as minors. In response, the civic center commission chair and manager asked for the supervisors to set aside money for more cameras to be installed in the next fiscal year budget at Monday’s board of supervisors meeting.

Lincoln County Sheriff Steve Rushing followed their request with one of his own, asking the board appropriate $40,000 in ARPA funds to team up with the city in joining Fusus, a camera access program. Collins gave a presentation in March on the benefits of the City joining Fusus as community cameras become tools in helping solve crimes.