Deputies report finding drugs while investigating theft from storage unit

Published 1:00 pm Thursday, September 27, 2018

MOULTRIE, Ga. — A father and son were arrested on drug charges during a search of their residence that was part of an investigation into a burglary at a storage unit on Holmes Drive.

Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office investigators searched the 2511 Sylvester Drive residence of Shannon Dale Partain and his son Kannan Partain on Monday afternoon after linking a truck that was caught on video the night of the burglary with one parked at that house.

There was a small yard sale going on in the front yard, but police were not sure whether any of the items for sale were stolen or not.

“We had a burglary at Live Oak Storage on Sept. 2,” said sheriff’s Sgt. Christopher Robinson. “Two guys in a small pickup went into unit 601 and cut a hole in the wall and went into 602.”

The driver, who police believe was the elder Partain, had a code for the gate lock to enter the facility, Robinson said.

Cameras caught the same truck, a tan Mazda B2500 pickup truck, on video on several subsequent occasions.

The driver “tried to use the same code,” Robinson said. “It had been changed. The guy went back several times over the next several days and tried combinations to try to put the code in. They were unsuccessful.”

On Monday police located the truck at the Partain’s residence.

The truck was fairly unique because, having last been manufactured in 2000, there are not many on the road these days, Robinson said. It also had a black plate on the front with the word “Sheriff” on it.

After speaking with Shannon Partain and believing his answers not to be truthful, Robinson said, a search warrant was obtained for the residence.

“Upon searching the house we found items belonging to the victim at Live Oak, along with drugs and paraphernalia and firearms,” he said. “Based off all of that Kannan and Shannon were charged with drug-related offenses.”

Both men were charged with possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug-related objects, said Sgt. Randy Rakestraw of the Moultrie-Colquitt County Drug Enforcement Team. Shannon Partain also was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

Shannon Partain also was charged with burglary and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in connection with the theft at the storage unit.

Robinson said he is not sure whether any of the stolen property was being sold at the makeshift yard sale at the residence. Police also were not able to immediately determine whether there were additional stolen items from other theft cases in the residence.

“There may be other charges pending,” Robinson said. “There was stuff stacked from the floor to the ceiling. It looked like an episode of (the television show) ‘Hoarders.’”