Less than $50 has landed a 24-year-old in jail on felony charges.

Travis Lee Thomas of Jones was arrested Wednesday for burglaries at Verbena Annex and Verbena High School, according to Shane Mayfield, assistant chief deputy with the Chilton County Sheriff’s Department.

Thomas allegedly broke into the two schools early Wednesday morning and took small amounts of cash.

When sheriff’s department investigators began looking into the burglaries, they learned that an Elmore County sheriff’s deputy on his way to work spotted a man walking by the side of the road at about 3:30 a.m.

Video surveillance at Verbena High School shows someone entering the school at about 5:15, so he likely first broke into Verbena Annex.

At the annex, a jar that employees put money into to pay for drinks out of the refrigerator was emptied. Less than $10 was in the jar, Mayfield said.

At the high school, a sliding glass window at the front office was taken down, and less than $40 was stolen from the office, according to Mayfield.

Investigators shared images from the surveillance video on Facebook and with nearby law enforcement agencies.

“They were too good not to put out there,” Mayfield said about the images. “We got a ton of calls, and the one that we never thought would amount to anything turned out to be the one that led to the arrest.”

A clerk at a convenience store in Centreville said the man from the surveillance video made a purchase in the store Wednesday. The clerk contacted local police, and the Centreville police chief called into Chilton County dispatch in an effort to reach investigators.

One of the dispatchers who handled the call from the Centreville police chief was on her way home when she spotted a green SUV similar to the one the Centreville convenience store clerk described. The dispatcher followed the vehicle and contacted investigators with the tag number.

The vehicle was pulled over near Interstate 65 Exit 205, and Thomas was inside the vehicle.

It was determined that Thomas matched the description of the suspect in the surveillance video–Mayfield said he still had on the same clothes–so he was arrested.

“There’s no doubt from the surveillance that we watched that that was him,” Mayfield said.

Thomas’ charges include two counts of third-degree burglary (felonies) and two counts of third-degree theft (misdemeanors).

No bond had been set as of Thursday afternoon.

The driver of the vehicle said Thomas showed up at her house Wednesday. She felt sorry for him and allowed him to ride along as she took her son to Tuscaloosa, which led to Thomas being seen at the convenience store in Centreville.

“I never thought that lead would have amounted to anything, but she was adamant that it was him,” Mayfield said about the clerk.

Mayfield said Wednesday evening he was unsure why Thomas was in the area, but he may have a relative in the area.

“I don’t know what prompted him to start breaking into places,” Mayfield said.