Man Tunneled Through Wall To Break Into Stafford Business: Police

STAFFORD COUNTY, VA — A man broke into the Auto Chiefs facility in Stafford on Monday before tunneling through a wall to enter an adjacent business, the county sheriff's office said.

No injuries were reported in the burglary.

Authorities identified the suspect as 35-year-old Jerrylee Adams of West Virginia. He is charged with two counts of statutory burglary, attempted grand larceny, larceny, possession of burglary tools, and two counts of destruction of property.

Adams is being held without bond at the Rappahannock Regional Jail. His next court date is scheduled for Feb. 14.

If convicted of all charges, he could face up to 63 years in prison, based on Virginia's sentencing guidelines.

The Stafford County Sheriff's Office said the incident began around 10:30 a.m. on Sunday. Deputies learned of a business alarm at Auto Chiefs on Tyler Von Way.

When deputies arrived, they found Adams and noticed signs of a break-in at Auto Chiefs and Carplug, a neighboring business.

Adams told deputies he was doing drywall work at Auto Chiefs before buying a vehicle at Carplug. Neither business was aware of Adams or his plans, authorities said.

"Adams was detained and deputies were able to uncover something similar to a scene from the Shawshank Redemption," the sheriff's office wrote in a report. "It was discovered Adams attempted to break into Auto Chiefs using a crowbar on the front door. When Plan A failed, he resorted to Plan B and broke in using a broken garage panel."

After entering Auto Chiefs, the suspect tunneled through the wall into Carplug, deputies said. There, he stole a company hat, a pen, and keys to a vehicle.

"Adams advised he was going to use [the pen] in order to write a note to the business that he was taking the vehicle for a 'test drive,'" the sheriff's office said. "On his way to retrieve the vehicle, deputies made contact with him with all the stolen items still on his person."