May 11th, 2022 – 2:08 PM
Gordon County Sheriff’s Office –
On Monday morning, May 9, Sheriff’s Office deputies and detectives responded to the scene of a major burglary at a local storage facility near Calhoun. Officers at the scene met with the business owners and determined that over 70 units had been forcibly entered by cutting off padlocks and a large amount of property stolen from within, as well as from commercial vehicles parked within the complex.
Sheriff’s crime scene technicians began gathering physical evidence as victims were contacted to provide information about the stolen property. Detectives immediately recovered video footage from the business’ security camera system which clearly depicted both suspects. Still shots from this video were distributed to local media outlets which led to a large number of ‘tips’ from citizens.
These tips allowed the detectives to identify and locate the suspects, and the majority of the stolen property in Murray County. The two suspects were camping near Grassy Mountain.
One suspect escaped on foot into the wilderness area upon the arrival of deputy sheriffs.
The suspects, in this case, have been identified as
- BRANDON BAGGETT, age 24, of 364 3rd Avenue, Eton, Murray County, Georgia. He has been charged with multiple counts of Commercial Burglary and Entering Automobiles to commit theft. He is currently in custody.
- PATRICK JAMES CUZZORT, age 33, of the same address. CUZZORT is a fugitive. The (Gordon County) Sheriff’s Office holds warrants for CUZZORT’s arrest for Commercial Burglary and Entering Autos to Commit Theft.
The stolen property was found inside 2 cars near the suspects’ camp, and also at a private residence in Murray County. Detectives are in the process of identifying and returning the property to the rightful owners now.
The investigation has yielded evidence that the pair have been involved in both commercial and residential burglaries in multiple jurisdictions in both Georgia and Tennessee, as well as thefts from State/Federal money ‘drop boxes’ at parks/wilderness areas, which are being investigated by state authorities.
*Anyone with knowledge of PATRICK JAMES CUZZORT is urged to call 911.
Sheriff Ralston sincerely thanks all of the citizens who provided information to the Sheriff’s Office which facilitated this case being solved, arrests made, and the stolen property has returned to its rightful owners.