Hot Springs police have been scrambling to investigate multiple vehicle break-ins over the past few days and nights and believe a local man arrested Wednesday morning may be responsible for several of them.
Jimmy Ja'von Harris, 21, who lists a Vantage Street address, was taken into custody around 8:45 a.m. in the 400 block of Autumn Street and charged with felony counts of residential burglary, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, breaking or entering and theft of property involving a firearm, each punishable by up to six years.
"Additional arrests are pending as detectives continue their investigation," HSPD Cpl. Kirk Zaner said Wednesday, including charges for felony criminal mischief, commercial burglary, additional breaking or entering counts and possession of a controlled substance.
"The majority of these vehicles were left unlocked," Zaner said. "This, coupled with leaving valuables inside a vehicle, increases the chances a criminal will get inside your vehicle and steal your property."
Zaner stressed the importance of locking one's vehicle and not leaving valuables "especially firearms" sitting inside one's vehicle, "often in plain view."
According to the affidavit on the breaking or entering charge, on Wednesday, a local man reported a break-in to his 2008 Chevrolet Malibu parked on Silver Street that occurred sometime between 11 and 11:30 p.m. Tuesday and the theft of his cellphone, which was in the front seat.
Around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, police responded to a hit and run wreck in the 400 block of Autumn Street in which the driver, later identified as Harris, fled on foot toward Spring Street where he was apprehended in the 1000 block.
Harris allegedly had numerous items on his person, including bags he was carrying. Inside one of the bags was the cellphone stolen from the vehicle on Silver Street.
According to the affidavit on the burglary and theft, on May 16, shortly before 4 p.m., a burglary was reported at a residence on West St. Louis Street. The homeowner told police sometime between midnight and 3 p.m. that day, someone had entered his residence and removed a .22-caliber revolver from his bedroom.
That same day, around 2 a.m., patrol officers had detained Harris in the 1000 block of Seventh Street and during a search of his person, they located a .22-caliber revolver in his backpack. The burglary victim had not reported the incident yet and the firearm had not been listed as stolen at that point, so Harris was later released.
It was noted Harris was only a block from the victim's residence on West St. Louis at the time he was detained and it had only been two hours from when the victim had left his residence with the revolver still inside. A warrant was later issued for Harris' arrest.
Harris was being held in lieu of $10,000 bond Wednesday afternoon and is set to appear June 6 in Garland County District Court.
Local on 05/25/2017