Three people known to the victim have been charged in a home burglary in Gray following a spree of thefts that spanned three days and two states.

Nicholas Todd Simmons, 17, and Jesse James Herring, 18, both of Jones County, and Kristina Wynn Nethery, 25, of Byron, were arrested Dec. 12 and charged with the burglary of a residence on Childs Street. Simmons and Herring were also charged with theft by taking.

Gray Police Chief Adam Lowe said the suspects had been ‘hanging out’ with the victim’s son for several days when she noticed her necklace was missing. The theft was reported to the Gray Police Department Dec. 5, and Officer Brent Zimmerman handled the case.

Zimmerman’s report stated that Simmons took the necklace, and Herring pawned it.

The necklace was recovered at a local pawn shop, and the victim asked the offenders to leave her home and not return.

The homeowner reported a burglary Dec. 7 after coming home to find her back door kicked in. Lowe said GPD officers began checking with the neighbors and found an eyewitness to the burglary.

The witness told Officer Mitch Lovick that he saw a gray Chevrolet cavalier in the driveway and gave him a description of the people he saw at the house. That description matched the three suspects, and officers began looking for them.

Lowe said, as soon as warrants were issued, the suspects took off, and the next they heard of them, they were in Florida committing more crimes. Some of the items taken from the residence were pawned in St. Augustine, and a laptop was sold on the street in Jacksonville.

“Through interviews we found that Simmons, Herring, and Nethery all did the burglary together,” the chief said.

He said the items taken included an Xbox 360 with accessories and games, laptop, and clothing.

“By their statements, the items were taken to support their drug addition,” Lowe noted.

He said Lt. Eric Maynard was sent to Florida to retrieve the stolen items, and everything was recovered with the exception of the laptop.

The suspects started calling the police department and turned themselves in Dec. 10 because they said they were tired of running.

“I told them we had a witness that put them at the scene of the burglary,” Lowe said.

The chief said he is thankful that the neighbor was observant and willing to talk to the police.

“The eyewitness was the key. Mitch and Zim worked diligently and stayed on it until we got the items back,” he stated.