Man charged with vandalism at bank

An Ellijay man was arrested after breaking into an East Ellijay bank and causing damage. Once in the officer’s vehicle, he continued his assault on property.

Charles Jake Yarbrough, 30, was charged with burglary, damage to property and interference with government property.

In the early morning hours of  Monday, April 6, Gilmer County Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at South State Bank on Highland Crossing in East Ellijay, according to an incident report. When firefighters arrived they found an open door.

East Ellijay officer Tommy Long was called to the scene at 12:41 a.m. where he found Yarbrough sitting on the bumper of a fire engine with no shoes. Firefighters said he had walked out of the bank when they arrived. While clearing the bank officers found damage to a door sensor and a thermostat. Yarbrough’s boots were found outside the bank, one was hanging in a bush, according to the report. While waiting in the officer’s car, Yarbrough used his mouth to unplug one of the car’s cameras and tried to conceal the wire. He told the officer he did not like being recorded.

Yarbrough is being held on a $17,500 bond.