CHOCOWINITY — The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in tracking down the men responsible for several home break-ins earlier this month.

On Sept. 9, two neighboring houses on Old Blounts Creek Road were broken into; among the items stolen from them were a total of five handguns and a flat-screen TV. When the break-ins occurred — about noon — the residents of both homes were at work. However, investigators believe the men responsible those crimes also tried to enter a third, neighboring, home, but cut the attempt short, as the residence was occupied at the time.

Investigators found that a witness saw two black, male suspects loading items into a gold-colored Pontiac van before fleeing the scene, according to a press release from the sheriff’s office. Further canvassing of area neighbors and businesses revealed video of the suspect and van recorded at a convenience store around the time of the break-ins.

Tuesday, the sheriff’s office released four photos of one of the suspects and the van.

“We’re at the point now in the investigation that we need to elicit the help of the public,” said Major Kenneth Watson, spokesman for the sheriff’s office.

Watson said that of the items stolen, only one of the handguns has been recovered.

Anyone with information on the identity of this suspect is asked to contact Beaufort

County Crime Stoppers by phone, text or through their website. Call 252-974-6400; text a tip anonymously by dialing 274637 on a cellphone and in the body of the message, type BCSO131 and the tip; or submit a tip through the Crime Stoppers website, www.beaufortcountycrimestoppers.com, by following the “Tip Line” link and filling out an online form. Calls, texts, and emails are anonymous. Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest or the recovery of property in this case. Tipsters do not have to give their name to receive a reward.