Burglary suspects arrested

Two men were arrested and charged on April 10 in connection with a Nov. 28, 2007, burglary at Long View Gallery in Sperryville.

James A. Duncan, 23, was charged with breaking and entering and grand larceny. Earl Jackson Nicholson Jr., 26, was charged with possession of stolen property. Both men are from Culpeper, but were staying at a house located on a hill behind the art gallery.

Maj. Scott Jenkins said Rappahannock County Sheriff's Office personnel had the house under surveillance for two days before making the arrests. Duncan and Nicholson were already wanted for offenses in other Virginia counties, he said.

Jenkins said deputies recovered some stolen items, including two paintings, a bottle of wine and some jewelry. He said the RCSO is working with agencies in other jurisdictions to try to recover other items that belong to the gallery's owners.

Jenkins said there is no evidence to suggest anyone else was involved in the Long View burglary. But he expects that other larceny cases may be solved in other jurisdictions as a result of these arrests.

Duncan and Nicholson are being held without bond at the Rappahannock County Jail.

A man on Ginger Hill Lane near the Town of Washington called the RCSO on April 7 to report that several hundred gallons of diesel fuel had been stolen from his farm.

The caller said the theft occurred during a two-day period and the fuel was taken out of tractors on the property, according to the report at the sheriff's office. The man also said this is not the first time diesel has been stolen from vehicles at his farm.