From the Monterey Police Department:

On Christmas Eve at approximately 10:00 pm Monterey Police Officers were notified of a burglary in progress at the Convenience Mart at 804 S. Holly St. The store was closed for the holiday. Officers arrived on scene within minutes and with the assistance of a store employee who was able to remotely view cameras inside the store officers were able to take Joel Leeroy Thomas into custody without incident. Mr. Thomas was booked into the Putnam County Jail on $35,000.00 bond. We want to thank the employee of Convenience Mart and all the Monterey Police Officers that responded to the incident for a successful resolution to this incident. We would also like to thank the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office Deputies that responded to assist us as well. Please follow us for further updates and information.