Damion Malik Najera

An Athens man was arrested early Sunday on a litany of charges related to several criminal incidents around the city, an official said.

Chief Floyd Johnson said his department received a call of a suspicious person shortly before 7 a.m. After arriving on the scene, Officer Neal Muse and Sgt. Dusty Meadows located 19-year-old Damion Malik Najera, of 13653 Brownsferry Road, Athens, near the back of the store.

Najera appeared to be under the influence, Johnson said, and also had blood on his clothing and an unidentified white powder.

The officers noticed several large bulges on Najera’s person, which were found to be a small axe, a machete and two cans of air dust cleaner. Johnson said Najera admitted taking the property, and he was then arrested on charges of third-degree theft.

Earlier that morning, police had responded to an alarm call at Express Oil on U.S. 72. When officers arrived, they found someone had attempted to break in the back door of the business. The manager responded to the scene, but found nothing out of place.

Officer Jason Threet was patrolling other businesses in the area and found a broken window at Four Seasons Hair Salon on Bolyn Street. Officers found blood inside the business, along with a white powder that had been sprayed from a fire extinguisher. The only things missing, however, were a hairbrush and a white towel.

Following his arrest, Najera was interviewed by Investigator Bret Constable, and Johnson said Najera confessed to the burglary and attempted burglary.

Shortly after 10 a.m., the police station received another call from a resident on Fern Street who reported a car burglary. The victim told police he and his wife were leaving for church when they noticed someone had gone through their vehicle.

The couple reported a car charger and Swiss army knife missing. Johnson said Najera had the knife on his person when he was arrested.

Najera was charged with one count of third-degree burglary, one count of attempted burglary, two counts of third-degree theft of property, one count of unlawfully breaking and entering a vehicle and public intoxication.

He was booked at the police department and transferred to Limestone County Jail. He remained in jail Monday afternoon in lieu of $9,000 bond.