Birmingham, AL 07/11/2017
Two suspects that are brothers have been charged with theft following an investigation into a suspected burglary at a Center Point cell phone store.
Just after 1:00 am on June 4, 2017, deputies responded to a burglary alarm at the T-Mobile store on Center Point Parkway. Responding Deputies contacted the store manager who came to the scene and advised that 113 cell phones and an amount of cash had been stolen from the safe inside the store. Over $54,000 worth of cash and merchandise had been stolen from the store.
A sheriff’s detective assigned to the case checked surrounding businesses for video surveillance cameras. A nearby ATM was found to have a camera that had a clear view of the front of the T-Mobile store. A review of the video captured by this camera showed two men both wearing T-Mobile shirts loading items into their vehicles after the store had closed.
The detective interviewed the employees of the store. Only three employees had keys to the store and the safe combination.
The investigation revealed that the assistant manager of the store, 28-year-old Vincent Warren Long of Birmingham, and his brother who also works for T-Mobile, 21-year-old Joseph Daniel Long of Birmingham, had committed the theft. They attempted to stage a burglary to deflect suspicion from themselves.
On July 5, 2017, sheriff’s detectives obtained arrest warrants charging the pair with Theft of Property 1st Degree. The brothers remain at large. Anyone with information on their location is asked to call the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office at 205-325-1450 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.