Two arrested for area car thefts, burglaries

By Jimmy LaRoue

Published: August 6, 2008

Following an 11-month investigation, the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office, in cooperation with several law enforcement agencies, has announced the arrest of two individuals they believe to have been involved in a string of motor vehicle thefts and related burglaries.
Travis Lee Lam, 27, and Royce Lee Miller, 24, both of Broadway, face 45 felony charges as a result of an ongoing investigation into thefts and burglaries that began in Augusta County in September 2007 and ending in May 2008, according to a news release.
The 45 charges are only for the thefts and burglaries that began in Augusta County, according to the release. The two men also face additional charges in other jurisdictions.
According to the release, the sheriff’s office has cleared 30 local criminal cases and recovered 16 stolen vehicles that have been attributable to Lam and Miller, the release said.
The value of lost property and goods is more than $182,850, the sheriff’s office said, much of it being vehicles that have since been recovered.
The sheriff’s office has also attributed Lam and Miller to two large catalytic converter thefts – valued at $36,700 – at the Staunton Hyundai on Sept. 10, 2007, and Feb. 14, 2008.
The two men have also been connected to seven commercial burglaries that occurred in Augusta County while the two operated there, the sheriff’s office said.
An investigation into the two men is ongoing, with the two facing “a laundry list” of charges throughout the region, the release said.
In addition to the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office, the Virginia State Police, Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office, the Staunton and Harrisonburg Police Departments and the West Virginia State Police were involved in the investigation.