A juvenile remains in custody after allegedly slashing the tires on the Tchula Police Department’s two-cruiser fleet before going on a crime spree in the town.
The lone overnight officer on duty discovered the flattened tires at around 4 a.m. Tuesday when he attempted to respond to a burglary alarm at the Shell gas station on U.S. 49.
When the officer hopped into a police car, he noticed that its tires — as well as those on the department’s other cruiser and on his personal vehicle — had been stabbed with a knife.
Tchula Police Chief Anthony Jones said the officer responded on foot to the Shell, located about four blocks from the police station, and found part of the door had been kicked in.
The culprit, who was caught on a security camera, had made off with cartons of cigarettes and other tobacco products.
The officer then spent the rest of the morning walking to two other Tchula businesses, where the burglar had unsuccessfully tried to pry open the locked doors.
Jones said security camera footage from all three stores helped identify the juvenile.
Although security camera footage from outside the Tchula Police Station doesn’t give a clear picture of the culprit who slashed the tires, Jones said he was convinced the same person was responsible.
The chief said he believed the car tires were slashed in a bid to hinder the police’s response to the burglary alarms at all three businesses.
The suspect, whose name and age were not disclosed, is being held at a juvenile facility in Rankin County. Jones said he’d already confessed to most aspects of the crime, including nabbing the smokes from the Shell station.
Jones said he also suspected the same culprit has been behind a string of burglaries at the Dollar General in Tchula, although the chief added that security footage from that store doesn’t provide a clear identification.
“We’ve been having a break-in at the Dollar (General) that’s been going on for a month, every other day, every other day,” Jones said. “I’m still saying it’s linked to the same guy.”
As for the department’s cars, Jones said officers were able to patch one up using spares borrowed from the city’s public works department before taking the vehicles up the Greenwood Walmart to have the tires replaced.
• Contact Bryn Stole at 581-7235 or bstole@gwcommonwealth.com.
