A man with several prior burglary and theft charges was arrested Monday after allegedly being caught stealing scrap metal from several Hopeulikit locations and selling it at a local junk yard.
    Michael Thomas Padgett, 30, Allenwood Drive, was charged with criminal trespass, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and theft by taking, according to Bulloch County Sheriff’s reports.
    Bulloch County Sheriff’s Deputy Reynaldo Rodriguez responded to a call Monday about Padgett taking sheet metal and a metal sink from Free Chapel Church on Hopeulikit Lane. He also took a metal crate,  some metal pipe, some farming planters and other scrap metal  from a pond house near Wynn Marsh and Akins Pond Road, the report stated.
    One victim spotted Padgett leaving his property with scrap metal and followed him to Stubbs Metal yard on U.S. 301 South, where Padgett said he had permission from another person to get the metal. However, when the victim questioned Padgett, he could not identify the person he claimed to have given permission.
    Padgett offered the victim $40 and promised not to return to the property, but the victim called deputies when he later discovered Padgett had trespassed on his property earlier, according to reports.
    Deputies could not locate Padgett at the Allenwood Drive address they had for him, but later an anonymous tip was called in that Padgett was traveling in a gray Dodge pickup truck on Friendship Church Road, and he was stopping to take scrap metal from several properties in the area, reposts stated.
    Responding deputies did not find Padgett in the area, but located him on U.S. 301 South near Coley Boyd Road. The truck was loaded with scrap metal. After a victim arrived at the scene and identified the planters, Rodriguez placed Padgett under arrest. A juvenile with him was not arrested.
    Padgett was taken to the Bulloch County Jail where he later posted bond.
    Padgett has had several arrests within the last few years, including an arrest recently where he was suspected of a break-in at Sparker’s convenience store on U.S. 80 West, where he was a past employee. He was also arrested last year as a suspect in an armed robbery at Statesboro’s Wal-mart, but charges were dropped due to lack of evidence, according to police.