Three people, including two juveniles, have been charged with a burglary at a county church in which several pieces of costly sound equipment and two air conditioners were reported stolen.
In other separate cases, two men have been charged in connection with one of six house burglaries reported in the county in recent weeks, some of which have been linked together, the authorities said.
Charged with the Sept. 13 burglary of Smith Chapel Church on Mississippi 491 were:
• Alexander Province, 20, of 1015 Road 723.
• Jacob Dove, 17, of 10720 Road 149.
• Daniel Alexander Hembree, 17, of 10361 Road 359.
Both juveniles were charged as adults, Sheriff Donnie Atkins aid.
Authorities obtained a warrant to search Province's residence and found one of the air conditioners missing from the church. They are also following leads as to the whereabouts of other items reported missing including a Peavey amplifier, two speakers, a mixing board and two microphones; and a Yamaha keyboard.
Two men, out on bond
under indictments for similar crimes, were arrested in connection with a burglary at a house on Road 515.
Keith Collins, 26, and Paul McShepard, 26, both of Hillcrest Apartments on St. Francis Dr., were charged with a burglary at a house on Road 515 where entry was gained after someone kicked in the front door, Sheriff Adkins said.
Taken in the burglary were two televisions, a surround sound system, DVD player, chain saw, PlayStation 3, laptop computer and jewelry, among other things.
Some of the items were recovered at area pawn shops and from other individuals, the sheriff said.
The two men were also being questioned in connection with a burglary at a house on Mississippi 15 South and one on Mississippi 486, where front doors where kicked in and similar items reported missing.
Three additional burglaries which occurred last week in close proximity of each other remain under investigation though authorities say they have obtained evidence to link them together.
A house on Road 450 was ransacked and several items taken after someone broke in through the back door, Adkins said.
"It looks like they spent some time there inside," he said. "They had a safe in the house and they spent some time trying to tear into it. They basically beat it to death but never did get inside."
Reported missing from the home and nearby shop were a television, drill, saw, industrial grinder, prescription drugs and several items from a freezer including steaks and pork chops.
A second burglary was reported that same day at a house on Road 717 in the same vicinity.
A digital camera, camcorder and glass jar containing coins were reported missing after someone gained entry into the house through a carport door.
The next day a burglary was reported at another house on Road 450 in which items were stolen from a freezer.
"No one was living in the house at the time," Adkins said. "We think those three occurred on the same day and we feel confident that we are looking for the same people due to the evidence gathered at the scene of each of them."
Anybody with information on any of the burglaries was asked to call the sheriff's office at 601-656-1414.
