A rash of vehicle break-ins and thefts struck the west side of town last week and worked its way north to the Country Club Terrace neighborhood, with one incident resulting in the arrest of two teens in Pine Bluff this week.
In another incident, a complainant may have scared off a potential suspect, according to an El Dorado police report.
Tyrell R. Dunn, 18, of 1332 Blackard, and a 17-year-old boy, also of El Dorado, were arrested July 26 by Pine Bluff police after the pair was stopped in a car that had been reported stolen in El Dorado.
El Dorado police are calling on residents in Country Club Terrace to review any surveillance video footage that was shot between 10 p.m. July 25 and 5 a.m. July 26, the time frame in which thieves are believed to have broken into several vehicles in the areas of Chula Vista, Claremont, Meadow Lane and North College.
On July 25, a man reported the theft of his wife’s vehicle — a silver, 2015 Honda Accord — from their residence in the 200 block of Chula Vista, telling officers that the suspect(s) entered his vehicle and stole the key to the Honda Accord.
The following day, police in Pine Bluff notified the El Dorado Police Department that Dunn and the 17-year-old boy were in custody after having been stopped in the Honda Accord.
Pine Bluff officers said a handgun, $2,500 in cash and cards — which belonged to the complainant who reported the theft to El Dorado police — were found inside the car.
A resident in the 400 block of Chula Vista told police July 25 that someone broke into his vehicle and stole documents, including the vehicle title, registration, insurance and bill of sale.
The man said he did not initially report the incident, but he later learned the papers were found at a neighbor’s residence.
Officers had been called to the neighbor’s residence in reference to found property, noting that a Ouachita County property assessment form that was linked to the vehicle bore the name of a Camden resident.
Police said the complainant’s name appeared on the other documents that pertained to the vehicle.
A woman reported July 25 a vehicle break-in at her residence in the 500 block of Meadow Lane and the theft of a purse and two wallets, one of which contained debit/credit cards, checks, driver’s license, several other cards and receipts.
Police said that while they were speaking with the woman, she was contacted by a Norphlet woman who said she had found one of the wallets in the area of Wyatt Drive and Crotty Road.
Union County sheriff’s deputies were notified and during a search of the area, they found the other wallet.
Police said a checkbook was missing from the wallet that was found by sheriff’s deputies and all of the other items were recovered.
Also on July 25, a man told officers that he was sitting inside his vehicle on Mockingbird Lane when another vehicle pulled in front of him, and the driver activated the bright lights in an apparent attempt to look inside his vehicle.
The complainant said the male exited the vehicle, walked to the passenger side of the complainant’s vehicle and shined a flashlight inside.
He said that when the male noticed him sitting inside the vehicle, the male ran back to his vehicle and drove away.
The suspect’s vehicle was described as a gray Nissan Altima.
The complainant provided the license plate number to police. He also told officers that the male who was driving the Altima was white with shaggy brown hair.
On July 27, officers spoke with the owner of the Altima and she told officers she had allowed a male to use her vehicle on July 25.
Police said the male that was identified by the woman matched the description that was provided by the complainant.
The Union County Sheriff’s Office is also investigating a series of vehicle break-ins that have recently been reported in the county.
Deputies said they are looking into any possible connections between the break-ins that have occurred in the county and/or within El Dorado city limits.
A Mystic Creek resident recently reported that someone broke into his vehicle and stole his debit card. He later learned the suspect(s) had used the card to make more than $2,000 worth of purchases at Walmart Supercenter in Pine Bluff.
Tia Lyons may be contacted at 870-862-6611 or by email at [email protected].