Chapel Hill Pharmacy Break-ins Lead to Multi-State Crime Spree, including Connections to Winchester

Xavier Jennings (Photo Credit: Chapel Hill PD)

What started as two early morning break-ins at a small-town pharmacy in Chapel Hill has turned into a full-blown multi-state crime spree, according to police — and it even connects back to several towns here in Tennessee, including Winchester.

The Chapel Hill Police Department said the first break-in happened in July 2024 at H&S Pharmacy on Nashville Highway. Two people were caught on camera busting through the front door and heading straight for the meds behind the counter before leaving in a four-door sedan.

Then in December, it happened again — three suspects broke in the same way, but this time only made off with one medicine bottle before taking off in a white Dodge Durango.

After digging in, Chapel Hill police realized they weren’t the only ones dealing with this. Turns out, several other towns — McMinnville, Winchester, Adamsville, Columbia, White Bluff, and Kingston Springs — had similar pharmacy break-ins. Police said the suspects used the same methods, wore similar clothing, and were seen driving similar vehicles.

CHPD brought in help from an FBI analyst to sort through the info. That led them to reach out to the DEA, where they found out agents in Mississippi were working on nearly identical cases. Once they put the pieces together, it turned out this wasn’t just a Tennessee issue — the same group was reportedly hitting pharmacies across Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, too.

Two suspects, Xavier Jennings and Kendrell Cross, were named in a federal complaint. They’re believed to be tied to the Chapel Hill cases and multiple burglaries in Mississippi. Police also say these same two stole a couple of Dodge Durango Hellcats from a car lot down there, which ended in a high-speed chase. One of them even rammed a deputy’s cruiser before ditching the SUV in the woods. Cross was eventually arrested after being spotted walking along the road nearby — and he was already out on bond from previous burglary charges in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Then, on April 3, a CHPD detective and a DEA agent traveled down to Tuscaloosa to arrest Jennings. They say he’s connected to around 20 different pharmacy burglaries and several stolen cars. When they picked him up, they said they smelled marijuana on him and in the apartment he was staying in.

After getting a search warrant, officers found bulk marijuana, guns, masks and gloves like the ones used in the break-ins, a window punch, and a tool used to program key fobs. They also recovered stolen vehicles and other evidence. Police said some of the clothes in the apartment matched what was worn during the Chapel Hill break-ins.

At the time of his arrest, Jennings was also out on bond for other burglary and theft charges in Huntsville, Alabama.

As of now, both Jennings and Cross are still in custody and facing more charges as the investigation continues. Authorities believe there are more connected burglaries still being looked into across the South.