Rainbow City investigators say a man's cellphone picked a particularly bad time to make a call - as he and others were planning a burglary.

Acting Rainbow City Police Chief Jonathon Horton said three men were arrested this week on multiple charges in connection with burglary and theft investigations in two cities.

Joshua Lee Bragg, 27, of Southside, Jay Randall Pruett, 29, and Jake Waylon Bellew, 29, both of Rainbow City, are being held in the Etowah County Detention Center without bond.

Horton said Rainbow City police began investigating a residential break-in on June 2. The victim told police an unknown phone number had left a voicemail with him the day of the burglary.

On the message, two men could be heard talking about breaking into a residence and mentioned another man's name, who lived near the victim. The call came from a prepaid phone with an unknown owner. However, detectives had the name of the man mentioned in the message, which they traced to the home nearby. That man had a number stored in his phone that identified the caller from the message, Horton said.

That man was also a suspect in a burglary in Glencoe, where several firearms and ammunition were taken. At this point, Rainbow City and Glencoe detectives began working together.

Two of the men were arrested Sunday at an Alabama City motel. Detectives then went to a Rainbow City residence after questioning the men and found three weapons from the Rainbow City burglary, along with a crossbow from another burglary.

Bragg is charged with two counts of third degree burglary and two counts of first degree property theft. Pruett faces two counts of third degree burglary, two counts of second degree property theft and two counts of first degree property theft. Bellew was charged with first degree property theft, second degree property theft, and third degree burglary.

Horton said weapons and a stolen vehicle have thus far been recovered.

The Etowah County Drug Enforcement Unit also was involved in the investigation.