An Elizabethton man already charged with breaking into a downtown doctor’s office on Easter morning has been charged with another break-in, which police say happened two hours earlier at a city pharmacy.
Michael Sims, 22, 718 W. G St., was charged with burglary and vandalism over $500 in a break-in at Union Pharmacy.
At 1 a.m. Sunday, the EPD was dispatched to Union Pharmacy to check on a burglar and glass break alarm.
At the scene, officers found the rear glass door broken, and inside, a chair and packages on a shelf had been knocked over. The owner of the pharmacy said nothing appeared to have been taken.
On Monday, EPD investigators reviewed the security footage and quickly identified Sims as the suspect.
He was originally arrested early Sunday morning by the Elizabethton Police Department and charged with burglary of an Elizabethton doctor’s office.
That incident occurred at 3 a.m. Sunday at Dr. Aly Bassal’s office, which is in the same building as Burgie Drugs.
The arrest stemmed from a 911 call, in which a witness reported seeing a suspicious person behind the doctor’s office.
Officers reported finding a broken window at the back of the office, and evidence which they said indicated someone had entered the building.
Sims was stopped by officers as he was leaving the area of the business, and was found to have injuries on his hands and arms consistent with wounds that could have occurred from the broken glass. Officers said Sims eventually admitted he had been to the back of the building, but said the glass had already been broken and he was not responsible.