Two juveniles, aged 16 and 17, were charged with several of the recent thefts and in some of them, an 18-year-old was also implicated.
Detective Shelly Sikora followed up on a report of a package stolen Feb. 24 from an address on Fairfield Road containing a Spark Canister valued at $52.65. One of the juveniles took officers to the Oxford Cemetery to a corner of the property where the box was found. The item was not recovered, however.
Implicated in that were the two juveniles and Jace David Griffin, 18.
All three were also charged in the theft of a package Feb. 24 on Jacob Drive.
The two juveniles were charged in a Feb. 25 theft on Kelly Drive. Four items valued at a total of $86.96 were reported stolen in that incident. Those items were a Star Wars Galactic Heroes valued at $47.99, a Renpho Bluetooth body fat scale at $30.99, Star Wars Blast Off! Level 1 at $3.99 and DK Reader Lever 2 Star Wars also at $3.99.
Amazon had replaced the items so restitution is owed to Amazon.
Police were told the items were thrown into a trash container on Morning Sun Road. The scale was found smashed on the ground there but Rumpke had already emptied the container.
Two jewelry items valued at a total of $117.10, including tax, were taken – A Kendra Scott Faceted Reid silver long pendant necklace valued at $64.97 and Kendra Scott Lee silver drop earrings in peacock illusion valued at $44.97.
One of the juveniles took officers to his bedroom closet and removed the two Kendra Scott items and another ring from a pocket of a snow suit. He said he was planning on giving the jewelry to his girlfriend.
Detective Sikora also reported recovery of a Mackie Big Knob Passive Studio taken from a porch on Indian Cove Feb. 25. Value was $70.49.
The box was found in a trash container on Brown Road and the cord for the box was located in the juvenile’s bedroom. The knob part of the item was not recovered.
Just the two juveniles were charged in this theft.
The two juveniles were also charged in the theft of a package in the zero block of West Walnut Street in which a package delivered Feb. 25 was stolen containing items valued at a total of $63.05. The items in the package were not recovered including men’s boxer briefs, a woman’s thong and a T-Back Bralette.
Although those three arrests cleared up a number of porch package thefts the rash of them continued into March with another one resulting in the arrest of two men.
Police were called to the 100 block of North Elm Street at 5:20 p.m. March 4 on a report of a theft in progress. The caller reported two black males – one in a red hoodie and ball cap and the other wearing a tan jacket and work boots – walking north on North Elm Street.
Officers found two men matching those descriptions in the 300 block of North Locust Street and stopped them. They were identified as Keith Wilder, 32, and Robert Vickers, 51. Vickers was allegedly seen to be carrying a gray item in a plastic bag. It was described as a gray Ausbos Lunch Bag which he admitted had been taken from the address.
Another officer was speaking with Wilder and noticed some object down his pants leg. He allegedly said it had been given to him by Vickers and it was found to be a pair of Dr. Scholl’s Plantar Fasciitis women’s size 6-10.
Detective Sikora came to the scene and collected the items which she took to the North Elm Street address to speak to the complainant. The female resident said she had seen a man approach the porch and thought he was delivering a package but realized he was not carrying one but he picked one up off the porch and walked away. She and a roommate identified the items as those which Amazon had reported as delivered earlier.
Vickers was identified as the man who had taken the package from the porch.
Both men were taken to the police department. Vickers was charged with theft and Wilder with receiving stolen property and both released on their own recognizance.
In a separate theft report made at 9 p.m. March 3, police were told of a theft in the 200 block of North Main Street. The victim said he had received an Amazon package delivery at 9 p.m. the previous night with delivery confirmed by a photo notification. The package contained dietary supplements similar to fish oil.
Value of the contents was $35.
He said he had gone to the mail room at 11:15 a.m. on March 3 but the package was not there. He said he checked the mailroom, house and trash but found no sign of the package.
That theft remains under investigation.
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