The crime reward

fund established by the Peachtree City Council is already beginning to

reap benefits.

A recent burglary

of the Pit Stop convenience store was solved thanks to the help of an

informant who will be awarded $1,000 after the suspects are convicted,

Police Chief James Murray said. The informant helped police arrest Christopher

D. Contreras, 17, and Pedro Carrillo, 17, both of Peachtree City, on burglary

charges.

According to

an incident report, $15 in quarters was taken from the store on Feb. 28

and a screwdriver was used to gain entry to the store. The pair set off

a burglar alarm and ran off into the woods, according to witnesses, Murray

said.

Investigators

were asked to approach all their informants for information, Murray said,

and one tip paid off big. As Contreras and Carrillo were questioned, they

eventually admitted to committing the crime, the chief said.

"It took

us two days to get them," Murray said.

The arrests

were fortunate since they could have prevented a string of burglaries

from occurring, Murray added.

Back in December,

councilman Dan Tennant suggested that the City Council earmark funds to

help police solve cases by offering rewards however Murray sees fit.

Council eventually

decided to set aside $25,000 from its council contingency fund for just

such a purpose.

At the time,

Tennant said that although Peachtree City is a "safe and secure community,"

the funds might help police solve a serious crime in the future.

"Public

safety needs to be priority one in our community, and criminals and would-be

criminals need to be sent a message that this council will fully support

the police department's effort to bring criminals to justice," Tennant

said.