DOUGHERTY CO., GA (WALB) - A man is now facing charges after police said they found him trying to steal 10 pounds of pecans from a Dougherty County grove.
Crimes like this one spike around harvest season.
While some people don't know the laws about pecan picking, some just ignore it.
In this particular case, police said they found Marcus Burbage with a bucket full of pecans he picked up from Pippin Farms.
Around 10:30 Tuesday morning, police were called to the 3500 block of Habersham Road.
Police said someone working on the pecan grove saw Burbage with the bucket and called police.
"I would assume that he thought like anyone else, 'If pecans are out there, and no one is picking them up, I'll go out there and pick some up and make some money off of that.' But again, even if it's your next door neighbor has a pecan tree, and pecans are falling, and he's not picking them up-- if he hasn't given you his permission to pick them up, it is illegal," said DCP Captain Tom Jackson.
Burbage is facing criminal trespassing charges along with unlawful removal of pecans.
Remember, it's always illegal to pick up pecans on private property unless you have permission from the owner.
If pecans have fallen onto the right of way, the pecans still belong to the owner during harvest season.
Captain Jackson said if you do plan to pick pecans from private property, it's best to have written permission from the owner.
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