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AUGUSTA, Ga. () – Late on the night of January 23rd, deputies from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported burglary at Fifth and Fire, located at 551 Broad Street. The call came in at precisely 11:33 pm.
The restaurant manager, who had already contacted 911, acted swiftly by sending a screenshot of the suspect, captured on the establishment’s security camera, to Chief Lewis Blanchard, who was on duty downtown at the time.
This image was quickly distributed to all downtown patrol units, as well as to the team at the Intelligence and Real-Time Crime Center, as part of an alert for a “Be On the Lookout” (BOLO).
Investigators from the Intelligence and Real-Time Crime Center immediately began reviewing footage from downtown cameras to track the suspect’s movements.
Thanks to their efforts, within just five minutes, authorities apprehended the suspect on the 300 block of Ellis Street.
He was initially identified as 44-year-old James Carrol Priester of Augusta, due to the ID he had on him.
After fingerprinting, deputies discovered his name is actually Victor Oatman, 48.
Items belonging to the business were found in his possession.
Oatman is being charged with burglary and giving false information to law enforcement.
He is in the Richmond County Jail.