Valdosta Police Department:
On December 18, 2017 at approximately 7pm, a citizen contacted E911 when she discovered that her vehicle had been broken into and that her property was now missing. Valdosta Police Officers responded to the area and made contact with the citizen. In addition to the stolen items, the citizen advised that the damage to her vehicle by the offender would cost several hundred dollars to repair. The initial responding officer completed the preliminary investigation and gathered physical evidence from the scene.
During the approximate time the report was being taken, another citizen called from the 200 block of Norman Drive in reference to a male subject looking into vehicles and reportedly pulling on the door handles. Another Valdosta Police Officer responded to the location and began searching the area for the subject. Shortly after arriving, contact was made with the described individual. The subject first identified himself to the officer using a false name. The officer detained the subject, and then correctly identified the subject as Jose Copeland from Quitman, GA. Copeland was found to have had an active arrest warrant out of Florida. Copeland was taken into custody for providing false information. After Copeland was arrested, while being searched, he was discovered to be in possession of property identified as having been stolen from the original vehicle break in the 1700 block of River Street and Copeland was also in possession of cocaine.
Copeland was transported to the Lowndes County Jail without incident. Copeland now faces charges of:
• Theft by Entering Auto (FELONY)
• Possession of Cocaine (FELONY)
• Providing False Information to Law Enforcement (Misdemeanor)
• Criminal Trespass/Vandalism (Misdemeanor)
“This is the second example in just a few days of a citizen assisting law enforcement by reporting suspicious behavior. When police arrived and investigated, they were able to take the offender into custody before anyone else’s property could be stolen,” said Lieutenant Adam Bembry.
