News 12 First at Five, March 26, 2009

THOMSON, Ga.---About 12 Family Dollar robberies stretching from Warren County to North Augusta and everywhere in between. Thursday they dove in to find evidence four safes and counting.

Safe number one is being brought out of the water after just a few minutes of searching this pond in Thomson. Not far behind it is safe number two.

"I got it between my legs, I'm straddling it, you want it?" Yells one diver.

Thomson Police and the McDuffie dive team are searching for evidence. Thomson Police believe the safes are connected to around 12 local Family Dollar robberies. The first one from November, here at this Thomson store.

"Since then there's been a rash throughout the csra and all of them seem to be the exact same way," says Thomson Police Lieutenant Scott Whittle.

Another diver motions he's found safe number three. The store robberies spread across seven counties in the CSRA. All the way from Jefferson and Warren into South Carolina. And all 12 safes may have ended up here.

"It's kinda secluded a little bit and they were coming out and actually busting them open here and then throwing them in the pond," describes Lt. Whittle.

Investigators found the first safe using an underwater camera about a month ago, but waited until the water warmed up to go back in.

Within the first thirty minutes they found three safes from the pond right here and that's not counting the three they found on camera.

Although the pond isn't huge, the water is murky, which is a challenge for the divers.

"Visibility down there they tell me is about two feet so they're just crawling along the bottom and feeling with their hands," says McDuffie County Fire Chief and EMA Director Bruce Tanner.

And so far, the safes are empty. All that's left is some change. But investigators are hoping these safes lead to a break in the case.

As of right now Thomson Police do not have any suspects in the robberies. They say they are following up on several leads and hope the safes will provide some new information and maybe even lead to some arrests.