Published: November 05, 2009 11:47 pm      

Commercial burglaries on the rise

County authorities working smash and grab burglaries

The first noticeable clue something might be up is when two shadowy individuals show up on a convenience store surveillance video long after the store closed.

With their faces covered up by various means, one person reaches into a backpack, pulls out what appears to be a brick and launches it through the front glass of the door. Glass shatters and spreads across the floor of the store as the two, who are now burglary suspects, sprint through the opening grabbing cigarettes, cigars and pretty much anything else they can get their hands on. They are only in the store for about a minute and then they are gone.

These commercial burglaries, or what law enforcement officials call smash and grabs, have occurred three times since Oct. 31 in Lauderdale County. They follow the same method of gaining entry and the suspects steal pretty much the same type of items. Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department investigators are trying to get a handle on these individuals and they are asking the public to help them out.

"In two of the incidents it was just one person but in one incident, committed at the CEFCO Convenience Store on Hwy. 45 South, it was two people," said Lt. Casey McElhenney. "We had a rash of these several months ago and we are trying to stop this before it becomes a bigger problem."

McElhenney said on Oct. 31, just after midnight, the Centerhill Shell on Hwy. 495 was broken into. On Nov. 4 it was the CEFCO, or the old Outpost as most people still remember it, located at 6501 Hwy. 45 South. The Southeast Trading Post at 1903 Hwy. 19 South was the last business to be hit.

During the last outbreak of these crimes, McElhenney said Meridian was suffering from the same type of incident. Capt. James Sharpe, who is the commander of the MPD's Criminal Investigation Division, said they had one incident of this type occur about two weeks ago but none since. Sharpe agrees with McElhenney that these crimes could very well be committed by the same person or persons.

"Our incidents in the city are very similar to those in the county," said Sharpe. "I think one or more of these individuals are the same as those hitting the county locations."

McElhenney said there are no vehicles seen on the surveillance videos and the suspects are well disguised with hooded sweat jackets. One of the suspects in the CEFCO incident Nov. 4 was wearing a black hooded jacket with a spider web type design on it. That incident is also the only one where the race of the individuals is confirmed.

"We can see they are two black men, probably young in age possibly even teenagers," said McElhenney. "Beyond that we can't tell that much."

If you have any information pertaining to these crimes officials at the LCSD and the MPD urge you to contact them or call CrimeStoppers at (601) 917-8888 or (601) 527-1893.