Teams of deputies from the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office spent Tuesday morning making arrests during an operation targeting repeat offenders, including a pair tied to numerous break-ins in the Celia Creek area.

The community in western Caldwell County near the Burke County line has been hit by a number of break-ins dating back for some time, and investigators finally were able to get the information needed to tie individuals to the crimes.

"This has been a nuisance to the Celia Creek area for quite a while," Caldwell Sheriff Alan Jones said. "We thought we knew who was doing it, but we worked with citizens in that area to help us gain the warrants we needed for the arrests."

Deputies arrested Steven Wayne Patton and Shandee Hodge Tuesday morning around 10 a.m. Officers spent another couple of hours searching for any stolen goods and recovered some guns that had been taken from a break-in that occurred Monday night.

Steven Wayne Patton, 18, of Lenoir, was charged with felony breaking and entering and felony larceny of a firearm. He was placed in the Caldwell County Detention Center under a $25,000 secured bond. His first court appearance is set for Jan. 28.

Hodge, 19, of Lenoir, was charged with felony breaking and entering and felony larceny of a firearm. She is being held at the detention center with a bond of $25,000 and has a first court appearance set for Jan. 28.

Jones said there have been numerous reports of break-ins and larceny from residents of the Celia Creek area that have been investigated for a couple of months, and different items have been taken in those break-ins. He added that there were a number of tips and various information reported by residents of that part of the county that provided plenty of help to investigators as they worked to solve the crimes.

"We didn't have enough evidence until people started coming forward, and we got enough information to catch them," Jones said. "They have done a lot in that community, and the citizens really helped us out."

Jones said the arrests should give residents of Celia Creek peace of mind in knowing that people responsible for the break-ins have been taken into custody, though he noted that the suspects have made bail following previous arrests and returned to the area.

"It will help residents in that area if we can just keep them in jail," he said. "They always seem to make their bail, and then we have problems when they get out."

Four other repeat offenders were taken into custody and appeared before a magistrate Tuesday afternoon.

William Shane Patton, 32, of Lenoir, was charged with failing to appear in court for probation violation. He is being held at the Caldwell County Detention Center under a bond of $10,000 with a court date set for Jan. 28.

Kincaid, 26, faces charges of numerous accounts of failing to appear in court. She has bonds totaling $6,500 and was lodged at the detention center.

In addition, Maston Sanders, 24, of Lenoir, was arrested and charged with failing to appear in court and assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury. He posted his $1,500 bond and was released from the Caldwell Detention Center.

Roland Edward Gullett, 34, of Lenoir, was arrested and charged with failing to comply with nonsupport. He was lodged in the detention center under a cash bond of $542.99.

"The operation was a complete success, and we were able to incarcerate several offenders today," Jones said. "We will continue to be aggressive in our fight to make our communities a safe place to live."