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Would-be burglar makes unlikely pit stop

By Chip Washington - bio | email | Twitter | Facebook

OLIVE BRANCH, MS (WMC-TV) - A burglary suspect in Olive Branch made an unlikely stop after committing a crime Wednesday.  The suspect, 28-year-old Billy Buntin, applied for a job at All-Star Waste Systems in Olive Branch after allegedly trying to steal from a nearby home.

Olive Branch police said they received a burglary call Wednesday from an address on Ridgefield Drive after Buntin allegedly tried to steal a floor jack from a garage.  According to investigators, when the homeowner caught Buntin in the act, the would-be burglar ran off.  He wound up at All-Star Waste Systems.

"A man came in and applied for a job," said All-Star president Hunter Carruthers. "Didn't seem suspicious or anything out of the ordinary. Seemed very calm and cool."

While Buntin was filling out his application, an employee saw an alert about him on the Olive Branch Police Department's Facebook page.  The employee called police and told them the person they were looking may have just left All-Star's building.

According to Carruthers, Buntin spent considerable time in the bathroom until he finally escorted him out.  Police eventually caught Buntin nearby, behind St. Luke's Church. 

"It's just really interesting, and everybody kinda got excited a little, but we calmed down and went back to work," Carruthers said.

Buntin was charged with burglary of a dwelling.  He is being held in the DeSoto County Jail on $22,222 dollar bond.

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