A Chocowinity man has been arrested for more crimes allegedly committed while under pre-trial release electronic monitoring.

On Jan. 23, a report of theft on farm on N.C. Highway 33 in Chocowinity was called in to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, according to a press release. Reported stolen were five vehicle batteries from tractors and other farm equipment.

According to Maj. Kenneth Watson, spokesman for the sheriff’s office, the batteries were recovered from O.B.I. Sheer Steel, a recycling center in Chocowinity.

On Feb. 12, patrol officers arrested Cornelius Terry Lee Sparks, 26, of Chocowinity. Sparks was charged with five counts of breaking and entering a motor vehicle, five counts of misdemeanor larceny and one count of obtaining property by false pretenses. He was held in the Beaufort County Detention Center on a $15,000 secured bond.

Watson said the pre-trial electronic monitoring is an option for inmates approved for electronic “house arrest.” The supervision includes outfitting an individual with an ankle bracelet that communicates with an in-home monitor that alerts the sheriff’s office when that individual leaves the home.

“It’s a service given to us by the commissioners several years ago to help reduce the pop of detention center,” Watson said.