Philly man steals $500 from truck, loses cash at a casino

A Philadelphia man is accused of stealing $500 in cash from a man’s truck parked at a business late last month and losing it at a casino.

The man, Eric Odell Burkes, 47, 10060 Road 289, was arrested and charged with burglary of a vehicle, according to Neshoba County Sheriff Eric Clark. 

The crime first came to the Neshoba County Sheriff’s Office’s attention on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 3:35 p.m. when a man reported $500 in cash had been stolen from his vehicle parked near the door of the Dollar General on Highway 19 North, Clark said.

According to Clark, the man was on the cemetery committee at his church and the money was for a burial plot.

Investigators viewed security footage from the store and developed Burkes as a suspect when they saw a middle-aged black male reach into the vehicle after exiting the store, Clark said. He said the man on video got in his car and sped away after taking the cash.

Members of the NCSO caught up with Burkes at his residence the following morning. Clark said Burkes confessed to taking the money and said he had lost it all at one of the casinos.

“He said he has the full intention of reimbursing the money,” Clark said.