A rash of vehicle break-ins that has kept the El Dorado Police Department busy over the past three weeks has shown no signs of slowing as officers have stepped up late-night and early-morning patrols in neighborhoods across the city and made some arrests.
Multiple break-ins were either reported by local residents or discovered by police early Wednesday morning in several areas, including North Parkway, North College, Oakhurst, North Jefferson, East Fourth, East Sixth, Champagnolle, Euclid and South West Avenue.
Several items that were believed to have been taken from vehicles were recovered and found scattered about the areas yards, driveways and streets, according to police reports.
In one instance, officers found property inside a car that had been stolen from another car nearby.
Items that were reported stolen Wednesday include firearms and ammunition, hundreds of dollars in cash, purses, wallets, a drill and a checkbook.
The firearms, cash and drill were among items that have not been recovered.
Police said there were no signs of forced entry in any of the incidents.
In some cases, items were disturbed inside the vehicles but no items were reported stolen.
Officers have encountered several such scenes while responding to recent breaking or entering calls.
On July 28, police responded to a report of “three
suspicious individuals” in the 2500 block of Laurie Avenue and saw the interior dome lights on and doors open in several vehicles along the avenue.
Police also said the glove compartments and center consoles were open and the contents strewn about in each vehicle.
The same night, officers reported seeing three people walking along Casa Linda and the dome light and door ajar on a vehicle in the 400 block.
The owner of the vehicle said two small tool boxes and an orange pill bottle containing approximately $10 in change was missing,
Police said the tool boxes were recovered in a neighbor’s yard.
A short time later, officers spotted two males run behind a house in the 600 block of North Parkway.
Police said the males ignored commands to stop and a foot chase ensued.
Officers caught up with one of the males, a 15-year-old boy, in the area of South Parkway and Jewel Lane and took him into custody after tacking him to the ground.
The boy was arrested for breaking or entering, theft of property and fleeing.
While searching the area for the second suspect, police were stopped by a woman in the 500 block of Jewel Lane who told them that a male had walked from behind her residence.
She said the male, later identified as 19-year-old Travoskie Coleman, of 1110 Ross, then walked to a neighbor’s house and tried to enter, first through the back door and then the front door.
The woman said Coleman ran down the street and behind another house.
Police spoke to the owner of the house that Coleman reportedly tried to enter, and she said she did not know Coleman.
Police said they found Coleman a short time later and took him into custody.
During a search incident to arrest, police said they found $1,516 cash and an orange pill bottle containing $9.87 in change in Coleman’s pocket.
Coleman faces charges of residential burglary, breaking or entering, theft of property and fleeing.
Bond for Coleman was set at $50,000 during a first appearance hearing Monday in 35th Judicial District Court.
He remained held in lieu of bond Wednesday night in the Union County Jail.
Capt. Kevin Holt, public information officer for the EPD, said a juvenile was also taken into custody in connection to several break-ins early Wednesday morning.
Few details were available about the arrest.
In one of the reports, a resident in the 900 block of Euclid told police she noticed the dome light on inside her father’s pickup truck, and she turned on the porch light, she saw two black males run away.
The woman said one of the males was wearing black shorts and the other black sweat pants, adding that both were wearing white shirts.
While investigating another vehicle break-in in which a purse was reported stolen in the 600 block of East Fourth, police viewed home surveillance video that captured four “juveniles” approaching the intersection of Fourth and Euclid at 1 a.m.
Police said one of the juveniles was seen throwing the stolen purse on the ground before walking out of the camera’s range.
The juveniles were black, police said.
Capt. Kevin Holt, public information officer for the EPD, said investigators have not yet determined if the incidents are related.
“It’s still part of the investigation. I’m not sure where they are on that one yet because the suspect is a juvenile and you have to deal with them differently in how you can interview them,” Holt said.
“Our officers are doing a hard job of actively looking for signs of vehicle break-ins in neighborhoods where they have already happened and keeping a constant vigil in other neighborhoods to keep them from happening,” Holt said.
Tia Lyons may be contacted at 870-862-6611 or by email at tlyons@ eldoradonews.com.