Hillsville Police Chief Steve Williams has announced the arrest of three individuals that have been charged with distribution of marijuana, and two of the three have also been charged with a string of burglaries that have occurred in Hillsville.

As a part of a continuing investigation, HPD officers went to a residence at Westview Terrace Apartments on Friday morning to serve arrest warrants, Williams said. Once inside the apartment, officers began questioning the occupants and quickly discovered that two of the individuals were responsible for at least five burglaries in Hillsville, some as recent as this past weekend.

A large amount of stolen property was recovered which included electronic equipment, jewelry, and other items as well as a large amount of cash stolen from one of the burglaries, Williams said. The burglaries had occurred at Elite Styles Hair Salon, H&R Block, and residences in Hillsville.

Marijuana was also discovered and seized along with items of drug paraphernalia and $569 in cash.

Tina Starlena Carte, 43; Amber Rose Cottle, 18, of Hillsville and Shane Rodrick Burcham, 24, from Galax were charged with one felony count of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, Williams said.

Burcham and Cottle have also each been charged with five counts of breaking and entering, four counts of grand larceny, and one felony count of destruction of property. Burcham also faces one charge of larceny of a credit card that was recently reported stolen from the locker room at the Carroll Wellness Center, Williams said.

A search warrant was executed at the residence on Saturday, and after a more thorough search, more stolen property was recovered. To date, approximately $3,957 worth of personal property and $2,377 in stolen cash has been recovered as well as 561 old coins and several items of jewelry, the value of which is unknown at this time, Williams said.

As this investigation continues, additional charges are expected in the coming days, Williams said. Officer Josh Edwards and Sgt. James Alderman are leading this investigation with a number of other officers assisting.

“I am very proud of the work our officers have done in clearing these burglaries and recovering the property stolen from hard working citizens,” Williams said. “By working together, passing information from shift to shift, and by paying attention to small details, this investigation has evolved into major breakthrough in crimes committed in Hillsville over the past two months.”