Man wanted in connection with burglary

A man remains at large after allegedly burglarizing a home near Union and stealing a truck last week.

The man, 52-year-old Mark Hardin of Pontotoc, is wanted in the burglary of a dwelling and for taking a motor vehicle, Neshoba County Sheriff Eric Clark said.

Hardin is implicated in the burglary that took place on Wed., Oct. 11, at about 1 p.m., Clark said. 

A neighbor reported a strange black Jeep parked at a nearby residence on Road 351. The caller also said they saw a stranger come out of the residence and they took down the license plate number of the Jeep.

After the homeowner was alerted and took an inventory of their home they reported their truck had been rummaged through and that a screen on a back window of the home had been removed and the window had been opened.

Investigators believe this is where the burglars made entry into the residence.

The homeowner reported that some items were missing including jewelry. Investigators also found two backpacks on the scene that had documents with the homeowner’s name. 

The homeowner told investigators they did not recognize the bags and that likely belonged to those who broke into the home.

Just after 2 p.m. a Neshoba County Sheriff’s Deputy encountered the black Jeep and made a traffic stop on Highway 15 near the intersection with Road 485 just south of Philadelphia.

The owner of the Jeep, Lisa Gail Holcomb, was driving with a passenger, Melissa Payne. The two women were questioned and arrested in connection with the burglary reported earlier that day.

Holcomb, 50, of 1198 County Road 506, Shannon, was arrested and charged with burglary of a dwelling.

Payne, 49, of 9743 Highway 41, Pontotoc, was arrested and charged with burglary of a dwelling. 

Clark said she was also issued a summons for possession of drug paraphernalia.

Clark said they also implicated a third accomplice who was identified as Hardin. 

Clark said the women reported being “spooked” while going through the house and made for the Jeep while Hardin hid in a nearby wooded area.

The following morning around 8:15 a.m. a foreman with the Vicksburg Southern Railroad Company reported a Volvo gravel truck had been stolen from a work site along the railroad near where Road 351 intersects with Road 248.

Clark said records from a traffic stop the previous night put Hardin driving the truck that was now reported stolen. Although Hardin was let off with a warning, documentation from the stop helped the investigation identify both the vehicle and Hardin as a suspect.

A warrant was issued for Hardin’s arrest and Clark said they notified authorities in Pontotoc of the incident. He said by 5 p.m. Pontotoc Sheriff’s Deputies had recovered the stolen truck, which has been returned to the railroad company.

Authorities are still on the lookout for Hardin. Clark said Hardin has a string of arrests that includes convictions for multiple burglaries and one count of grand larceny in the Tupelo area spanning nearly a decade between 1993 and 2020. Most recently, Clark said Hardin was arrested on drug charges near Tupelo earlier this year.