Hollonville burglaries solved

Pike County Sheriff’s Office Investigators have solved several burglaries that occurred recently in the Hollonville area.Two residents reported, within a couple days of each other, that their houses had been broken into and numerous items were taken. The perpetrators went so far as to shoot one of the homeowner’s dog inside their residence. The items taken included firearms, jewelry and cash. Investigators were able to locate some of the stolen items that had been sold in another county, which lead to Russell Ragland Jr. becoming a suspect in the burglaries.  With the assistance of Spalding County Sheriff’s Office a search warrant was obtained for Ragland’s residence on Elizabeth Lane in Spalding County. Items were recovered that linked Ragland to several burglaries in Spalding County. Ragland was not at the residence during the search of the residence and it was learned that he had been involved in a serious vehicle accident in Clayton County the night before the search of his residence was conducted. Investigators then contacted the Clayton County Police Department at which time it was learned that a handgun had been recovered from the vehicle that Ragland had been driving when the wreck occurred. This gun was retrieved from Clayton County and sent to the GBI crime lab for a ballistics comparison to the gun that had been used during the burglary. Crime lab technicians were able to confirm the weapon a match to the one used during the burglary. Due to the severe injuries sustained by Ragland he has not been arrested at this point and the case has been referred to the District Attorney’s Office for presentment to the Grand Jury and prosecution in Superior Court.