Sheriff sounds alarm about brazen armed burglars striking south county neighborhoods

Published 4:39 pm Tuesday, February 9, 2021

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Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten and his deputies are asking residents of Beau Pre subdivision and other neighborhoods in south Adams County to come forward with any information regarding a string of burglaries along Country Squire Road and Club Drive that occurred early Monday morning.

Burglars entered the neighborhood at around 1:43 a.m. and the sheriff and deputies think they targeted multiple homes in the neighborhood. Home security footage on two homes captured the suspects walking up to unlocked vehicles, rummaging through the vehicles, before driving off.

Patten said these suspects are armed and dangerous.

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“God forbid if someone came outside if they had seen the lights on their truck come on and they would have gotten shot,” Patten said. “We are making the citizens aware that this is happening, and we need their help to stop it. If they see something they need to call us.”

The sheriff’s office confirmed that guns and money were among four items stolen. A total of seven vehicles were broken into and rummaged through, he said.

These suspects approached the homes with handguns drawn, and pointed at the door of the home. Security lights, and security cameras did not deter the suspects in any way, Patten said.

One of the suspects in the video can be seen walking with a limp in his right leg. This suspect can be seen breaking into a pickup truck, and taking his time to look through the backseat as well as the front of the vehicle.

Two of the suspects can be seen walking away from the scene with their backs turned. Patten said it was very brazen of them to act in this way.

“These individuals obviously do not care about their lives, or possibly lives of the people they are burglarizing,” Patten said. “They are going to peoples houses, with the lights on and their guns drawn. It has to be stopped.”

All of the homeowners were at home at the time of the burglaries. Patten said if a homeowner had gone to the door to investigate it might have turned deadly. Mississippi is a castle doctrine state, which means a homeowner can defend his or her property such as their home or vehicle.

Both of the vehicles burglarized on camera were left unlocked, the sheriff said. Patten asks residents to lock their vehicles and to not leave anything of value in the vehicle.

Patten also urges homeowners to report anything that looks out of place, or sounds out of place.

Patten said if a burglary is taking place, the homeowner should call 911. He plans increased patrols in the Beau Pre neighborhood and other south of town.

He said he is glad none of the homeowners went outside to investigate.

“There is no telling what would have happened,” Patten said. “That is why we are here. To encounter people like this.”

Patten said the homeowners association in Beau Pre is offering a $2,000 reward for any information leading to the capture and conviction of the suspects.

Anyone with additional security footage from the neighborhood is asked to send video from early Monday morning to the sheriff’s office. Patten said any information or help from the public is important in preventing, and fighting crime.

“The days of not getting involved in cases and not relaying information to law enforcement (are over),” Patten said. “We have really closed that gap to where they (citizens) are talking to us. It is OK to be a good citizen. It is OK to turn people in who break the law.”

In addition to the sheriff’s office investigation into the Beau Pre burglaries, detectives have determined the identities of suspects in connection with a string of burglaries in the Morgantown area. Patten said he does not think the burglaries in Beau Pre are connected to the ones in Morgantown.