Three people have been arrested and charged with multiple counts of theft after Barrow County Sheriff’s deputies recovered a stolen vehicle owned by Brandon Dwayne Berner, who is currently being held at the Barrow County Detention Center in connection with a child molestation case.

Deputies were informed that a stolen, red Mitsubishi, thought to be owned by Berner, had been spotted in Carl.

The car was later discovered parked outside of a home located at 19 Pressley Road.

When deputies questioned the owner of the home, a 44-year-old white female, she told them she was unsure about the car’s ownership.

According to the incident report, there were two males and a teenager at the house upon the deputies’ arrival.

One of the males came down the hallway with his hands in air; he was later identified as Jeffery David Arnold. The teenager was identified as Sandra Leenell Thompson.

Thompson told deputies that Arnold had been driving the vehicle that day.

The vehicle was impounded after Berner told deputies that the car had in fact been stolen. No one had been given permission to take vehicle from outside his apartment.

Arnold, 35, of Jefferson, was charged with two counts theft by receiving stolen property/felonies; Thompson, 17, of Winder, has been charged with one count theft by receiving property and one count obstruction of officers; and James Arthur Brock, 28, of Bethlehem, was charged with two counts theft by receiving stolen property/felonies.

When Brock was booked at the Barrow County Detention Center, he had on his person several items identified by Berner as being his property, including a Fossil watch, a Russian Dive watch and a silver quartz watch.

Deputies were then informed that Berner’s Winder apartment had been burglarized.

The items had allegedly been released to Brock’s girlfriend who was contacted by deputies and told to return the items as soon as possible.

Further investigation into the burglary is being led by the Winder Police Department which was also informed of correspondence obtained which may tie Thompson further to the investigation in which Berner is charged.

The Barrow County Sheriff’s Department is handling the stolen vehicle case since the car was recovered in the county’s juridiction.

Berner, 25, is facing a series of charges filed after a child molestation complaint was made to local authorities. The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office is conducting an investigation into crimes which may have occurred outside the city limits.

The case came to light Thursday when the parent of a 15-year-old female reported she found a memory card in her mailbox with an anonymous message urging that the card be taken to law enforcement.

A search warrant and arrest warrant were obtained and Berner’s residence in the 400 block of Gainesville Highway was searched.

Charges against Berner by Winder Police include statutory rape, sodomy, enticing a child for indecent purposes and sexual exploitation of a child.

Berner was denied bond Friday morning and remains in the Barrow County Detention Center.