PITTSBORO, N.C. — Chatham County detectives have arrested 25-year-old Rashad Edwards, of 1545 U.S. 15-501 South in Chapel Hill, in connection with a series of break-ins.

Tuesday's arrest followed a lengthy surveillance operation that resulted in a vehicle and foot chase last week.

Plainclothes officers from the Chatham County Sheriff's Office had been involved in the undercover surveillance mission for several weeks. The operation began after deputies received several reports of break-ins at homes under construction throughout the North Chatham area.

Friday, deputies watched two men in a green Ford pickup truck drive through the Strowd Mountain subdivision, stop at a home, remove several items of building materials and put them into the truck.

When deputies attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver refused to stop, and a 3-mile pursuit ensued. During the chase, items fell out the back of the truck, causing deputies to slow down, thereby increasing the distance between deputies and the pickup.

The pursuit ended at the intersection of Poythress Road and Gilmore Road when the pickup ran off the road and into a ditch. The two men jumped and ran from the vehicle.

Officers gave chase but were unable to capture the suspects at that time. The truck was impounded, and detectives were called in to continue the investigation.

Investigators discovered that the vehicle belonged to an elderly woman on Old Lystra Road, and adjacent to her home was a house under construction. Officers were able to identify several items of stolen property at the house and obtained a search warrant for it.

Officers recovered approximately $25,000 in stolen property and arrested Edwards for six counts of felonious possession of stolen property. He was jailed under a $10,000 secured bond.

The search continues for the second suspect.