Sheriff says 3 Poplar Bluff men admit breaking into nearly 30 storage units

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Three Poplar Bluff men allegedly were caught in the act of breaking into storage units Wednesday night and later admitted to breaking into nearly 30 units at facilities across Butler County this week.

Arrested were Rocky Brandon Nicholson, 27, of the 300 block of Valley; Franklin Eugene Williams, 58; and Bradley Eugene Williams, 32, both of the 100 block of Windy Ridge Circle.

"Bradley told me Frank had just got out of prison for burglary and back child support; he owed a lot of money. He was trying to help his dad make some money," according to Butler County Sheriff's Department Cpl. Randle Huddleston.

A total of 29 units had their locks cut and items taken Monday and Tuesday nights.

Huddleston described the facilities as all being on the "outskirts of town."

The units, authorities said, weren't cleaned out.

"Pretty much, [the units)] were pilfered through; some units they didn't take anything from," Huddleston said. "[One of the men] said, ‘If we didn't see anything we wanted, we just shut the door and left.'"

Pertinent address:

Poplar Bluff, MO