An alert off-duty deputy with the Butts County Sheriff’s Office driving home from work Tuesday afternoon observed a vehicle fitting the description of the one believed to have been used by those responsible for a recent multi-county burglary ring. The pursuit that followed led to the arrest of two individuals allegedly involved in numerous residential burglaries and at least one home invasion.

Butts County Sheriff Gene Pope said Tuesday’s events unfolded after one of his officers, deputy Jason Taylor, left the range following weapons training.

“An officer was going home and he spotted the vehicle that matched the description of the vehicle used by the people who have been burglarizing homes in several counties,” Pope said.

According to Pope, Taylor was driving on Georgia Highway 18 traveling toward his Barnesville residence when he “looked to the left, down a long driveway and spotted the car.”

Pope said Taylor turned his patrol car around to make contact with the driver when the suspect fled. The deputy then pursued the dark gray Dodge Magnum with North Carolina plates to Georgia Highway 87, in the direction of Butts County.

“That’s when he (Taylor) gave chase. I proceeded all the way down to (Highway) 18 and (Highway) 87,” Pope said. “I took off back north as the chase re-entered Butts County.”

The sheriff explained his involvement in the pursuit, saying, “There are two of us here with PIT (Pursuit Immobility Training) — another deputy and myself.”

The chase then continued down Highway 87 to Flovilla, where it came to an end.

“He does not get to the city limits — that’s what I tell my deputies. I’m not going to let someone like that get into Jackson and endanger all the people there. As far as I’m concerned, once a person has endangered the first person’s life, that’s it. The use of deadly force is justified. Today, this guy had already endangered others and assaulted three officers with his vehicle — me and two others. I was the last one and that’s when I decided that enough was enough — it had to stop and I ended it. I had already executed PIT once and he was still attempting to elude us. He (the suspect) got up alongside me — we were going about 30 to 40 miles per hour — when I shot at his car out of my window. I was aiming at his tire, but he kept pulling up and slowing down, so I believe I hit the rim on the car.”

The driver did elect to cease fleeing at that time and both he, Anton Sowell, and his passenger, Zenya Concepcion, were placed under arrest.

“It ended then and there without any further incident,” Pope said.

In the hours that followed, investigators from neighboring jurisdictions converged upon Butts County to question the Magnum’s driver with many believing this may be the break they have been waiting for in the ongoing burglary ring.

“Everyone that’s come over to interview him (Sowell) from the other counties involved have said that’s the car they were looking for — a dark gray Magnum with North Carolina plates,” Pope said. “Right now (Tuesday afternoon), they’re getting ready to do a search warrant in Clayton County to see if an address we found in the car will give us more evidence on these suspects and others involved.”

Authorities have previously stated that a group of individuals, driving a vehicle fitting that description, were being sought in connection with burglaries throughout Spalding, Lamar and Monroe counties and possibly Butts, Clayton and Henry counties, as well.

Sowell and Concepcion are being held in the Butts County Jail.