Shot-at burglary suspect appears in court - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Shot-at burglary suspect appears in court

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By Dave Miller - email

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19-year-old Christopher Mathews made his first appearance before a judge this morning at the DOugherty Co. jail courtroom. The judge told him to ask his attorney to request bond.

Mathews is lucky to appear in court and not the hospital, after Albany police fired at him when they discovered him trying to break into Dr. Brad Harris' oral surgery office on Pointe North Boulevard around 4:00 Tuesday morning.

APD officer Christopher Arline saw him walking on Pointe North and ordered him to stop.  The man turned and raised a gun at the officer, and Officer Arline fired three shots. Mathews dropped to the ground, but was not hit. 

Investigators think Mathews is behind a string of overnight crimes in northwest Albany.

Police say it appears that Mathews was on a burglary spree that included stealing a gun he pointed at officers and breaking into a dental surgeon's office.

He was out on bond facing nearly a dozen charges of burglary and entering autos in Lee County, and was wearing an ankle monitor when he was arrested.

Officers said the bullets were loaded backwards in the .45 caliber semi automatic pistol Mathews had, and it could not fire.

Officers had been in the area because someone smashed the Lighthouse Liquors front door trying to break in, but were unsuccessful. They found Dr. Harris' office windows smashed, and saw other attempts to break in surrounding businesses.

Earlier Tuesday morning a car was broken into on Nottingham Way, where a .45 semi automatic pistol was stolen. That was the gun Mathews pointed at the officer.

Drug agents say more doctor's offices are being targeted for painkillers.

Mathews was arrested in January in Lee County for 19 counts of entering auto, burglary, possession of marijuana and a gun.  He was wearing an ankle monitor Tuesday morning when he was arrested, on bond for those charges and two burglary arrests in December.

Albany Police charged him with aggravated assault on a peace officer, burglary, criminal damage, entering auto, and possession of a gun during a crime.   

 

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