MS burglaries tied to multi-state crime spree, DEA says. Here’s how they cracked the case
Two men arrested in South Mississippi are suspects in a multi-state crime spree targeting pharmacies in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Tennessee, according to an agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration.
In a criminal complaint unsealed in April, Xavier Jennings and Kendrell Cross are identified as at least two of the suspects involved in pharmacy burglaries in Petal and Wiggins and are suspects in similar crimes in other southern states, according to DEA Special Agent Keith Chappell.
Chappell spearheaded the investigation that began after burglaries at two pharmacies in southern Mississippi on Oct. 24, 2024.
According to the charging documents, the first break-in occurred that October morning around 1:45 a.m. at Park Place Pharmacy in Petal, and the second occurred less than two hours later at County Discount Drugs in Wiggins.
During the burglary at Park Place Pharmacy, surveillance footage showed three masked individuals dressed in dark clothing. One used a sledgehammer to break the bottom glass portion of the door before two others entered the pharmacy.
Inside, two suspects used the lights on their cellphones to guide them through the pharmacy to steal items. However, authorities said the suspects left that pharmacy without any controlled substances because upgraded security cabinets at the pharmacy prevented their access to them.
Less than an hour later, authorities believe the same three masked suspects targeted County Discount Drugs in Wiggins.
Again, the suspects arrived in a dark-colored luxury sedan similar to the one used in Petal, and three masked suspects in dark clothing got out.
Again, one of the suspects had a sledgehammer that he used to break the bottom portion of the glass door so the others could get inside. Another suspect had a crowbar, and a third carried a bag inside. The suspects stole medications that included controlled substances, Chappell said. According to the camera footage, the suspects fled the scene four minutes later.
Afterward, Wiggins police caught up with the suspects’ vehicle and attempted to stop it, but the suspects sped off. A car chase followed, but officers abandoned the chase when the suspects reached speeds over 130 mph on Highway 26 for safety reasons.
Investigators subsequently obtained warrants to analyze cellphone activity at cell towers in the areas of both Mississippi burglaries.
That information resulted in the identification of two Trac phones through Verizon Wireless that were active during both break-ins. Cross and Jennings were the registered users, Chappell said.
Further tracking of the two phones not only placed the suspects at the scene of both Mississippi burglaries but also connected them to two additional pharmacy burglaries in Chapel Hill, Tennessee; as well as other burglaries in Jay, Florida; and in Flomaton, Alabama, and Greenville, Alabama.
In addition, Chappell said, the investigation revealed the same two men are linked to the Feb. 12 theft of two Dodge Durango Hellcat vehicles from Kim’s No Bull Car Lot in Laurel. That incident led to another high-speed chase in which one of the drivers slammed into a deputy’s car, then drove off.
The suspects kept driving before they abandoned the two stolen vehicles in a wooded area. Authorities arrested Cross after spotting him walking down the road after he and the other suspects abandoned the vehicles.
At the time of his arrest in Mississippi in February, Cross was already out on bond for prior burglary charges in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Jennings was also out on bond for unrelated theft and burglary charges in Huntsville, Alabama, charges authorities confirmed after tracking a call he made to a bonding company there.
As a result of the Mississippi charges, both men had their bonds revoked in Alabama and remain in custody pending further proceedings.
The multi-state investigation continues, and additional charges are expected as authorities investigate related burglaries across Southern states.
