A Greenville man has been charged with several felonies in connection with theft and vandalism at the Fairfield Square carwash Friday night and with two other incidents within the county.
The vandalism at the carwash occurred between 9:25 p.m. and 10:40 p.m. on July 18. The owners had been at the car wash and left, finding the evidence of vandalism when they returned. The equipment room for the car wash had been broken into in an attempt to access the change machine, and a vehicle had been used to take down a wall for the same purpose. Investigators with the Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Office worked that night and the next day investigating the crime scene and developed a suspect.
Jake Kinnear Collins, 29, was taken into custody on Sunday morning and charged with several felonies in connection with the incident at the car wash. The investigation also revealed a connection to a break-in at another business in Fairfield, and that the car used in the vandalism at the car wash was one that had been reported stolen from Smiley’s Truck Stop in Raphine in February. Collins was charged with several other felonies in connection to those incidents as well.
In total, Collins was charged with seven felonies: two counts of burglary, two counts of destruction of property, two counts of grand larceny and one count of conspiracy to break and enter. He was also charged with three misdemeanors: one count of destruction of property, one count of petit larceny and one count of tampering with a money changing machine. He is currently being held without bond in Middle River Regional Jail in Staunton.
COLLINS
“Our deputies continue to work diligently to protect our communities and bring those responsible for criminal acts to justice,” Rockbridge County Sheriff Tony McFaddin said in a statement. “This arrest is the result of strong investigative work and the support of our citizens. We will continue to pursue those who seek to do harm in Rockbridge County”
