A man wanted in Loudoun County for the theft of a car and a number of firearms was caught by authorities in Mississippi Thursday.
Joseph S. Schrotz, 22, was arrested during the burglary of a home in Harrison County, Mississippi. He is charged with multiple felonies in that state, including possession of a stolen firearm. Charges are pending in Virginia in connection with the theft of a 2009 Dodge Caliber and three firearms that were found inside it.
On Wednesday, authorities say that deputies in Mississippi pursued the Caliber, which had been reported stolen from the area of Gothic Square in Chantilly, for 25 miles before the suspect abandoned the car and fled on foot. Inside the car were three weapons: an AR-15 rifle, a .40-caliber handgun, and a 9mm handgun. All three weapons had been reported stolen Tuesday from a vehicle on Ponderosa Drive, also in Chantilly.
The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office is continuing to investigate the case.