The Brookhaven Police Department recently made several arrests in a rash of burglaries throughout the city.

Brookhaven Police Chief Bobby Bell said his department received calls regarding seven separate burglaries the morning of Saturday, Feb. 21. Police reports showed six vehicle burglaries – four on South Jackson Street, one on Martin Street and one at McCormick Court. Also, there was one carport burglary on South Jackson Street – a resident reported a stolen bicycle and a pressure washer. Electronics were taken from the burglarized vehicles.

Bell said the earliest report of one of the burglaries was around 5 a.m., but he received a call at 7 a.m. Saturday morning regarding the vehicle burglaries. He also said an officer who was patrolling the South Jackson Street area that morning noticed the bicycle and pressure washer out of place, closer to the edge of the road and away from a house.

Arrests were made when police were able to track – via a device tracking application owned by one of the burglarized vehicle owners – one of the stolen electronic devices to the home of Michael W. Carroll and Aleisha M. Newsom of 100 Eastview Drive.

Reports showed Carroll was charged Saturday with six counts of automotive burglary, one count of grand larceny and one count of petit larceny. Newsom was charged with possession of stolen property.

Reports showed that all the vehicles broken into were left unlocked and the bike and pressure washer were removed from an open carport. Bell said it looks like Carroll may have moved the heavier items near the street for later pickup with the aid of a car.

“That’s why we put emphasis on being alert and locking vehicles,” Bell said.

Bell said the investigation is ongoing. He said the burglaries may be copycat crimes based on information published about burglaries around the beginning of the year.

Along with thanking his department, the chief said he wanted to thank two residents who helped in the case.

“That’s what it’s all about,” Bell said. “We need help from the community, and I’m really appreciative of what they did with us Saturday morning.”

Police make arrests in business burglaries

Brookhaven police on Sunday arrested a man in a Feb. 8 burglary of a local business. Bell said the department received a call at 4:25 a.m. when an alarm went off at Southern Pawn at 119 North Whitworth Ave.

“Two minutes later officers arrived and noticed the window was broken,” Bell said. He said when viewing the surveillance footage with the shop’s owner, they saw a black male with a limp enter the store.

On Feb. 22 an officer noticed a person who fit the description. The officer pulled Phillip C. Smith, of 327 East Chippewa St., over and questioning led to Smith admitting to entering the pawnshop, Bell said.

Southern Pawn owners reported jewelry, electronics, an iPhone and $3 from the register missing after the Feb. 8 break-in. Smith was charged with burglary of a business.

BPD on Monday made an arrest in another burglary of a business.

At 6:07 a.m. Monday morning an officer on routine patrol heard an alarm go off at Hollywood Beauty Supply at 202 North Jackson St. Upon arrival to the store, the officer saw a black male running with the cash register from the store. The officer chased the man about a block before apprehending him, according to an incident report.

Juantez Lyons, of 100 Fred Wally Drive, was charged with burglary of a business. The cash register was valued at $599, and there was approximately $500 in the cash register at the time of the burglary.

“It makes me feel good to know we’re on top of these things and taking care of business,” Bell said.