Police department catches suspected thieves

Two suspects in a string of automobile break-ins have been arrested.

Duncan Police Chief Carl Long said Jacob Skyler Cooksey and John Barnett, both in their early 20s were arrested and charged with multiple felony counts of theft from a motor vehicle. Altogether, the Duncan Police Department has signed 20 warrants, though Long was not sure how many warrants had been signed by the Wellford Police Department.

Long said the two young men went through residential areas and church parking lots opening car doors that were unlocked. Allegedly, the two men began breaking into vehicles in the Wellford Baptist Church parking lot. Long said three vehicles were broken into there. The men reportedly continued breaking into vehicles in residential areas, pulling GPS devices, tablets and other electronics. Long said when they found something they didn’t like, such as clothing items, they tossed those things on the ground.

Following break-ins in the Duncan First Baptist Church parking lot, the police department received a phone call from an individual who saw one of the men going through a car in a residential area near the church. One of the men was arrested there; Long said he had a backpack with stolen items. The other man was found from a description of their vehicle. Officers searched throughout the town to find him and a car with stolen items.

“We had a quick response,” Long said. “That somebody took the time to call us, that makes all the difference.”

Long said people began realizing what had happened on Thursday morning when they went to get in their vehicles. He also said on the department’s Facebook page that residents may call the police departments to report break-ins. The Lyman and Wellford police departments also responded to the break-ins.

kmaple@greercitizen.com | 877-2076