Police arrest suspect in Bluff Park burglary, gun theft

Hoover police have arrested an individual in connection to the Dec. 21 residential burglary on Old Briar Trail.

Police arrested Bessemer resident Cory Lamont Peterson, 30, on Dec. 30 at 2:30 p.m. He has been charged with two counts of second degree receiving stolen property.

The burglary was reported in the 2400 block of Old Briar Trail in Bluff Park after a resident returned home and found the back door open. An unknown suspect took electronics, jewelry and three guns from the home.

The next day, on Dec. 22, employees of Simmons Sporting Goods in Bessemer suspected an individual came in and tried to sell potentially stolen guns. The employees called police, and detectives were able to identify the suspect as Peterson. They also recovered a hunting rifle stolen in the Dec. 21 burglary.

Peterson has also been linked to a car break-in from June 19. A handgun was stolen during that break-in, and police have been able to recover it.

Capt. Gregg Rector said individuals who steal guns, whether in a break-in or burglary, typically try to sell them. When the guns are sold on the street, he said they are harder for police to track. If a suspect tries to sell a stolen gun to a pawn shop or sporting goods store, however, it can be easier to track down the suspect.

Peterson was arrested at a home in the 2300 block of Clarendon Avenue in Bessemer and transferred to Jefferson County Jail in Bessemer on Dec. 30. He faces a $30,000 bond, $15,000 per charge of second degree receiving stolen property.

Anyone with information about Peterson’s recent activity can contact Hoover Detective Arthur Agee at 444-7562.