COURTLAND
The Branchville man whose home allegedly produced 691 pieces of stolen property recovered by Southampton County Sheriff’s Office deputies, pleaded not guilty in Southampton County Circuit Court on Tuesday, Jan. 6.

James William Thomas III, of the 28000 block of Little Texas Road, was arrested by the Southampton County Sheriff’s Office last April in connection with a break in at Liberty Coins in Downtown Franklin.

Thomas was arrested after Franklin Police Officers responded to a phone call from Dan Crumpler III’s law office downtown. Thomas was alleged to have previously broken into the roof of Crumpler’s bathroom to gain entry to the building. From there, he reportedly gained access to Liberty Coins, which connects to that bathroom, and stole an estimated $600 to $700 worth of coins.

When allegedly returning to the scene, Thomas was arrested on the rooftops without a struggle.

He was charged with three counts of burglary, three counts of grand larceny, two counts of credit card theft and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Since then, in July the Southampton County Sheriff’s Office obtained a warrant for his suspected residence, where they recovered items that allegedly connect Thomas to 23 regional burglaries dating back to 2006. Ten of those alleged burglaries occurred in Southampton County.

In September, he was charged with seven counts of breaking and entering and seven counts of grand larceny, in addition to other charges.

He is set to stand trial on Tuesday, Jan. 27.