Two Anson County Sheriff’s Detectives, Steve Erdmanczyk and Randy Henry, have received special commendations from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) for their “exceptional efforts in the ongoing investigation involving the series of major home break-ins where nine individuals have been arrested and indicted by federal authorities involving a multi-county theft ring.”

Anson County Sheriff Tommy Allen said that he received the notices last week and presented them to his detectives. “These were very complicated investigations that took my officer outside Anson County; all over North Carolina and working with many other agencies," Sheriff Allen said. "All my detectives worked on these cases at one time or the other, doing numerous interviews and tracking down witnesses as well as victims. But these two officers certainly deserve special recognitation as they were the lead investigators on the cases, working jointly with other county, state and federal officers and they put in many, many hours both on duty and off duty to help bring these thieves to justice.”

All nine defendants have entered guilty pleas and are awaiting sentencing. The last to enter a plea was the gang’s leader, Michael Chad Bowers, who entered the guilty plea just prior to his trial on Nov. 9. All nine defendants remain in federal custody.