Two Springdale men are behind bars after police say they stole a safe from AQ Chicken House and were later found with it in the parking lot of Allen Canning.
Heath Holcomb, 24, and Chris Grubbs, 25, were arrested and booked into the Washington County Detention Center on Monday, where they are awaiting a bond hearing, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. The two men face charges of commercial burglary, police said.
Springdale police responded Sunday night around 11:30 p.m. to a burglary call at AQ Chicken House on Thompson Street. Officers found an open door in the building’s rear and later found that a safe had been stolen from the location, according to the Springdale Police Department.
"When officers arrived, they found a door that was open in the back," said Springdale Lt. Derek Hudson. "They went in to secure the building and clear the building and found an office area that someone had went through. Once they contacted the owner, they found out a safe had been stolen."
About four hours later, a patrol sergeant saw a vehicle’s headlights behind the Allen Canning building on Highway 71B. When the sergeant went to investigate, he found two men standing beside the car, just as police received a call of a burglary in progress at Allen Canning, police said.
"He noticed a vehicle that was back there between a couple buildings and a couple of individuals," Hudson said. "Just as he was making contact with them, we also received a 911 call from a security guard at Allen's Canning, who said there may have been a burglary in progress."
A security guard at the Allen Canning building told police he saw the two men pushing a safe on a dolly in the parking lot. The safe was located and confirmed to be the safe from AQ Chicken House, police said.
"It was possible they had taken the safe from AQ Chicken and moved through the fence through to another location," Hudson said. "For whatever the reason, they could have moved it when they got scared and left, or this was their plan all along."
The two suspects were arrested and interviewed by detectives. There was no evidence of a burglary at Allen Canning, police said.
5NEWS reached out to AQ Chicken and Allen Canning for comment, but both declined to discuss the issue.
