Trenton man chases couple who were
robbing his mom’s home

By Carrie A. Mizell

A Trenton man chased down two burglares stealing from his mother’s home on Valentine’s Day, leading to the arrest of an Old Town couple.
Richard Beckelheimer of Trenton noticed a black Chevy blazer at his mother’s home around 11 a.m. on Monday. Beckelheimer did not think his mother was at home and did not recognize the vehicle as anyone he knew.

Gregory Alan Bennett	Heather Leigh Bartholomew

Beckelheimer pulled in to the home, which is located on SW 80th Street in the Bethel Baptist Church area, and confronted a white male and white female coming from inside the home carrying items that belong to his mother.
A brief scuffle took place. No one was injured, but the couple managed to escape in the unknown vehicle.
Beckelheimer followed them while calling the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office on his cell phone.
The suspects ended up in an apartment complex next to Fanning Springs City Hall, where the vehicle was abandoned.
Deputy Clint Anderson of the Levy County Sheriff’s Office and his K-9 partner, Robiek, responded to the scene and tracked the suspects to a wooded area near the Fanning Springs State Park, which runs along the Suwannee River. During the tracking, Robiek located the suspect’s shoes and a stolen .22 caliber rifle in the woods. Deputies cordon the area off and Levy County Sheriff’s Investigator Roger Bell located the suspects running on foot towards the Suwannee River. When Bell gave them an order to stop, the suspects jumped into the river to escape arrest, but realized that the water was too cold and surrendered without incident.
Investigators from the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office discovered multiple items in the vehicle, which could possibly tie the two suspects to numerous burglaries in the area.
Gregory Alan Bennett, 21, of Old Town and Heather Leigh Bartholomew, 22, also of Old Town were arrested and transported to the Levy County Jail.
They both charged with resisting arrest. Bennett was also charged with one count of burglary and one count of grand theft. His bond was set at $45,000. Bartholomew was also charged with one count of burlary and one count of grand theft. Her bond was set at $40,000.
The case is under investigation, and more charges may be pending in the future.
According to Major Tony Smith of the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office, the two will be transferred to the Gilchrist County Jail.