Canton Man Pleads Not Guilty to Burglary

A man arrested in June for allegedly burglarizing a thrift store has pleaded not guilty to the crime.

Eddie Lee Payne earlier this week entered his plea of not guilty to the crime, which he was indicted on by a Cherokee County grand jury last month.

He was indicted in October on one count of burglary in the first degree and another count of possession of tools for the commission of crime, which are both felonies.

Payne was discovered by deputies with the Cherokee Sheriff's Office inside Second Chance Thrift & More along Reinhardt College Parkway/Highway 140 near Lucky Street after severe storms swept through Canton in June. 

Mark Patterson, a deputy with the sheriff's office, was patrolling the area when he noticed a vehicle parked next to the building. The window of the vehicle was rolled down, and the deputy suspected someone was inside the business. 

Patterson discovered the door to the business was open and saw Payne, who tried to flee on foot. However, Payne was apprehended by other deputies as he ran out the back of the building. 

Payne admitted to authorities he was there to commit theft from the business, according to the sheriff's office.  

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