Police nab suspect in Charlotte, Fort Mill fire department break-ins

Police have arrested the man they say broke into cars at several Charlotte-area fire departments, including one in Fort Mill.

Johnny Bing, 26, was arrested Thursday and charged with two counts of possession of a stolen firearm, two counts of possession of stolen property, a felony count of receiving stolen property, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon possession of marijuana and more than a dozen counts of breaking and entering a motor vehicle, according to jail records. He was placed in the Mecklenburg County Detention Center.

Bing is accused in a string of car break-ins at fire departments in the Charlotte area this month, including two break-ins at the Flint Hill Fire Department in Fort Mill on Monday.

York County deputies said two vehicles were broken into at the fire department. Windows on both vehicles were shattered, and cash was reported stolen from one of the cars.

Investigators identified a suspect vehicle and found the vehicle in the parking lot of Northlake Mall in Charlotte, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police. Bing was the driver, and 22-year-old Ernestine Lockwood was the passenger.

Inside the car, police found a gun stolen from a vehicle in Greensboro, N.C., and additional stolen property, according to a release.

Lockwood was charged with two counts of possession of stolen property and served with outstanding warrants from other cases, police said. The investigation continues and more charges are possible, but police believe Bing acted alone in the break-ins.

Evidence at the Flint Hill scene ultimately led to Bing’s arrest, said Trent Faris, a spokesman for the York County Sheriff’s Office. He could not comment on what kind of evidence led to Bing’s arrest because it is part of the investigation.

York County authorities will charge Bing with two counts of breaking and entering a motor vehicle, Faris said. Additional charges are pending.

This story was originally published February 26, 2016 at 12:39 PM with the headline "Police nab suspect in Charlotte, Fort Mill fire department break-ins."