Teen arrested in car burglaries

A 17-year-old boy has admitted stealing items from about a dozen unlocked cars in Marianna in a “car shopping” spree one night in mid-June, according to the Marianna Police Department.
Police say he is being cooperative, but that he can’t remember what items he took from which cars in all cases. Police are asking residents in his target area to check their belongings and see if they’re missing anything that they didn’t previously report stolen.
Unnamed here because of his age, the juvenile focused on a residential neighborhood north of Lafayette Street, “specifically, the square area defined as the residences that are south of Kelson Avenue, north of Lafayette Street, west of Jefferson Street and east of Guyton Street,” according to a press release from the Marianna police.
The juvenile has also admitted to a similar spree in Panama City around the same time. But police believe they have sorted out the items taken in the Marianna area and have them at the station.
“The people who own these items may have thought they just misplaced them or haven’t missed them yet and never reported them stolen,” Marianna police Lt. Francis Davis said. “We’ve recovered quite a bit, and would like to get these things back to their rightful owners.”
Davis said the owners of three items have been identified through the initial theft reports they filed, and that the suspect has helped police make the connection in other cases.
But many more things are still in police custody awaiting identification by owners.
The objects were stolen on or about June 15. Those who think any of their belongings are among them should call the Marianna police at 526-3125 and provide a description of the property and proof of ownership, such as a serial number, purchase receipt or a description of owner-applied markings.
The majority of the belongings are electronic devices and accessories, police reported.
Davis said the police department intends to file charges of grand theft and burglary of vehicles against the suspect.
He credited the juvenile’s family and friends with helping them solve the case.
A concerned peer of the suspect alerted the suspect’s mother about what he had allegedly done. The boy’s mother in turn contacted police, and his pastor also assisted in the case, police said.
“The Marianna Police Department’s rapid and successful conclusion to these cases was in large part due to the open lines of communication and the dedicated assistance of concerned friends, parents, citizens, clergy, the State Attorney Office and the Jackson County Sheriffs Office,” the police department said in a press release.
To the knowledge of local law enforcement, the suspect has never been in trouble before, Davis said.