Two arrested for felony burglary and stealing

CHARLESTON -- Two Mississippi County residents are in custody following a burglary investigation by the sheriff's department.

According to Mississippi County Sheriff Keith Moore, the investigation began Sept. 23 when Chief Deputy Charlie Marcum was contacted by an Anniston man who reported several pieces of equipment stolen from his business overnight.

Upon their arrival, Moore, Marcum and Capt. Ken Story observed two sets of footprints leading into the building. The deputies then tracked the foot steps back to where the vehicle had sat and noticed the tire treads did not match.

Justin Weyand

Justin Weyand

Due to the overnight precipitation, Moore and Marcum were able to track the vehicle's unique tire tracks down the county's dirt roads, back to a house in Anniston associated with Tamara D. Tidwell, 29, of Anniston and her boyfriend, Justin A. Weyand, 35, of Charleston.

Weyand was first convicted on burglary charges in 2010. After multiple probation violations and additional convictions for various stealing offenses, Weyand was sentenced last month to four years in prison.

Prior to beginning his prison sentence, Weyand was released from jail on a two-week furlough granted by the Circuit Court. This burglary took place on the final night of Weyand's furlough.

When Weyand failed to return to jail after the court-ordered furlough, deputies went to his last known address pick him up. When they arrived, the deputies observed a white four-door car with maroon doors sitting in the driveway.

Upon closer examination, deputies found that the tread on the vehicle's tires matched the tracks left at the burglarized farm and noticed an item lying in the back seat which matched the description of an item stolen from the farm.

As deputies approached the residence, Weyand jumped from a back window and fled on foot. The vehicle's owner, Tidwell, was located inside the residence and placed under arrest.

Moore and Marcum began tracking Weyand, and a short time later, they found him hiding in a nearby field. At that time, the sheriff instructed Deputy Mike Borders to apply for a search warrant so the deputies could search the home and vehicles for additional stolen property.

Moore and several deputies then executed a search warrant on the property, resulting in the seizure of the item from the vehicle and two pair of shoes that matched the footprints found at the crime scene.

In addition, two cell phones were removed from the residence and searched by Deputy Cory Hutcheson. Hutcheson found that pictures of the stolen property had been taken on both devices, the morning after the burglary.

Later, when interviewed by law enforcement, Weyand and Tidwell both confessed to their respective roles in the burglary and implicated one another as an accomplice. By Sept. 26, the sheriff's department had recovered most of the stolen property.

Weyand is charged with second-degree burglary and four counts of felony stealing. His bond is set at $50,000.

Tidwell is charged with burglary, second degree, and four counts of felony stealing. Her bond is also set at $50,000.

"I am opposed to any furlough because they give convicted criminals one last chance to victimize the people of Mississippi County," Moore said.

The sheriff added: "It costs taxpayers extra money when we have to get out there and recapture someone, and it also creates additional victims."

According to the sheriff, his office will also seek additional felony charges against Weyand for failure to return to confinement and resisting arrest.

As of press time, both Weyand and Tidwell remained in custody in the Mississippi County Detention Center.