By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

Shelby County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested two suspects in a North Shelby smash and grab theft on Feb. 16.

Just before 1 a.m., deputies responded to a burglar alarm at a convenience store on Caldwell Mill Road. Deputies spotted a man on the side of the building, then heard people running through the woods behind the store and a truck engine with a loud exhaust start.

A truck with a loud exhaust was intercepted as it was leaving the area. The truck’s two occupants were arrested in connection to the alleged crime.

Kenneth Lamont Crawford, 44, of Birmingham, and Carlos Lamar Franklin, 43, of Decatur, were both charged with third-degree burglary, possession of burglar tools and second-degree criminal mischief.

According to court documents, Crawford and Franklin were allegedly both in possession of a sledgehammer.

The SCSO describes a smash and grab theft as one in which “thieves make a quick entry by breaking through the front door or back wall, grab bags full of items such as cigarettes, and quickly leave.” Stores that close overnight are usually the target of these crimes, a SCSO news release said.

“Shelby County deputies were able to catch (Crawford and Franklin) early Tuesday morning because of a quick response and attention to evidence at the scene,” the release read.

Crawford and Franklin are being held in the Shelby County Jail, each under an $11,000 bond.