Authorities in Orange County arrested a man wanted on multiple felony warrants of breaking into and stealing from motor vehicles on Tuesday afternoon.

Hillsborough Police arrested Steven Earl Riggs, 45, on charges of breaking and entering vehicles, as well as larceny of motor vehicles.

A message from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office on Monday night alerted the community to Riggs’ activity, saying he might be at large after a white male ran from the scene of a single vehicle car crash in the Cedar Grove community north of Hillsborough. The office received a report from a nearby resident saying the man was seen running through the back yard of a house off Sawmill Road and rummaging through an unlocked pick-up truck. After searching the area with a K-9 unit and yielding no result, the sheriff’s office advised residents in the area to lock their homes and vehicles.

According to the office, Orange County deputies began searching for Riggs in the same area later Monday night. While units set up a perimeter and a K-9 track, deputies saw a vehicle leave a nearby driveway at a higher than normal speed. A spokesperson said deputies failed to catch up to it and entered the vehicle into the National Crime Information Center database as stolen. An investigation later led to the discovery of at least one other vehicle being been broken into.

On Tuesday morning, authorities located the missing pickup truck abandoned near Faucette Mill and Frank Perry Road, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. A few hours later, local law enforcement received panhandling call at the Hillsborough Wal-Mart store. An officer with the Hillsborough Police Department responded and recognized Riggs, leading to units from Orange, Person, and Durham Counties to arrive and ensure Riggs’ arrest.

While authorities from Person County transferred Riggs to their detention center for further processing, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday additional charges from their jurisdiction will be levied against Riggs. An investigation with the office is ongoing and anyone with information about these crimes, or any indication their vehicle or its contents were disturbed, are encouraged to call 919-245-2905.

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