John Eric Stamey, 27, was arrested Oct. 5, after crashing a vehicle he had stolen from Southport Drive in Cornelius.



The arrest came after the Cornelius Police Department received several vehicle break-in reports from residents on the westside of Cornelius, including the Jetton Cove and Silver Quay neighborhoods.

The first incident was reported after a Jetton Cove resident discovered a stranger standing in her garage.  When she confronted the man, he left the garage, but not before he took her purse and cell phone.

Cornelius Police Officers, with assitance from the Mooresville Police's K-9 unit and Huntersville and Davidson Police Officers, set a perimeter in the area but were unsuccessfull at that time.

On Oct. 5, more calls were placed to the Cornelius PD regarding car break-ins in the same areas of town.

As officers were responding to a call about the stolen vehicle on Southport Drive, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department was responding to a vehicle crash on Perkins Drive in Charlotte. Once CMPD confirmed that the crashed vehicle was the same one stolen from Southport, they detained the suspect.

While seraching the vehicle, Cornelius Detectives discovered property that belonged to the first victim.

Stamey has been charged with 17 counts of felony, including:

- 9 counts of Breaking and Entering Motor Vehicle

- 4 counts of Larceny from Motor Vehicle

- 2 counts of 1st Degree Burglary

- 1 count of Larceny of Motor Vehicle

- 1 count of Possession of Stolen Vehicle

Stamey has been transported to the Mecklenburg County Jail. Anyone with information is asked to contact Cornelius Police Detectives at (704)892-7773 or North Mecklenburg Crime Stoppers at (704)896-STOP (7867).