Three people have been charged after the front door of Georgetown Market was smashed early Sunday morning.  The alarm sounded just after 1 a.m. and Bradley County Sheriff’s deputies were on the scene within minutes.

They discovered a case of lottery tickets – consisting of eight rolls – is all that was taken.  

Investigators then contacted the Tennessee Lottery Board and it wasn’t long before they received a call back that someone was attempting to pass one of the stolen tickets at a store in Charleston.  Patrol deputies responded there and took Ernest Ray McKinney, 36, of Georgetown, into custody.

Additional investigation led to Hamilton County where, assisted by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division, more of the stolen lottery tickets were recovered and two additional suspects were identified.  

Virgil Lee Gray, 22, of Georgetown, and Joshua Stephen Caldwell, 26, of Cleveland, were later taken into custody without incident.

McKinney has been charged with burglary, theft over $1,000, possession of drug paraphernalia, schedule II drug violations, schedule IV drug violations, and possession of marijuana for resale.

Gray is charged with burglary and theft over $1,000.  

Caldwell was held for misdemeanor probation violation and has additional charges of burglary and theft over $1,000.  

Bradley County Criminal Investigations Captain Steve Lawson and Sheriff Tim Gobble expressed appreciation for assistance the Hamilton County
Sheriff’s Office gave that lead to recovery of the stolen lottery tickets. They also thanked the lottery board for their prompt response when an attempt was made to pass one of the tickets in Charleston.