Unlocked cars easy targets

By John Howell
Two juveniles have been placed in detention after their arrests for thefts earlier this week from vehicles apparently left unlocked at Kyle Street homes.
Batesville Deputy Police Chief Jimmy McCloud said that the arrests led to recovery of some of the stolen goods, including a Ruger M77 hunting rifle with a Bushnell scope.
McCloud said that a patrol officer had seen the juveniles out walking the streets during the burglaries’ time frame and had logged their identifications. The suspects were also recorded on video by the downtown surveillance cameras on the Batesville Square.
The police department received its first report of a vehicle burglary at 7:58 a.m. Monday morning when the victim came to the police department and spoke with patrolman Matt McCool. The victim provided the officer with a description of the firearm along with its serial number, according to the officer’s report.
At 9:02 a.m. another Kyle Street resident spoke to McCool, reporting that his wife’s purse containing her wallet had been taken from her vehicle.
At 3:38 p.m. McCool went to a Kyle Street address where a man working at a home said that he had found a wallet in a garbage can. The wallet contained an ID, according to McCool’s report. He took it as evidence.
At 4:14 p.m., a Kyle Street victim came to the police department to provide the officers with a description of the contents of two wallets stolen from her vehicle. Items ranged from personal credit and debit cards along with several cards belonging to other family members, a Social Security card and $20 cash, according to the fourth report of Kyle Street burglaries and related activity.
“None of the vehicles showed signs of forced entry,” McCloud said. The investigation could lead to additional arrests, he added.