Safford police received seven reports of vehicle burglaries over the weekend in the area of Santa Fe Street, Tucson Street, 12 Avenue and 9th Avenue, all within a half mile-radius of each other. The suspect appears to have targeted cars that were unlocked. The alleged thief took items that were easy to grab out of the unsecured vehicles. Victims reported wallets and cash missing from their vehicles. Support from community members sharing video footage combined with excellent police work led to the arrest of a juvenile suspect who lives in the area.
Another burglary was reported as a separate incident in which neighbors saw a man getting into multiple vehicles in the 2000 block of 9th Avenue and called police with his description. An officer found the man and contacted him. A witness identified him as the suspect and told police they had watched him remove an item from a neighbor’s car and yelled at him to put the item back.
While speaking to officers, the man dropped a straw that appeared to be drug paraphernalia. The man was ultimately arrested for burglary and possession of drug paraphernalia.
