A suspect in several North Greenwood auto burglaries has been apprehended, Police Chief Henry Purnell says.
Larry Woods, 51, who has no permanent address, was arrested July 1 and charged with possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of a stolen firearm.
He has since been taken into custody by the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
Purnell said this morning he felt all along that Woods was responsible for “doing most of the damage” in North Greenwood, but police didn’t have enough evidence to link him to the crimes.
On June 8, a number of vehicles were broken into on Bell and Crockett avenues, and several firearms were stolen from both locked and unlocked vehicles.
One weapon taken from a vehicle on Bell Avenue — a Taurus .40 caliber pistol — ultimately led to Woods’ arrest.
On the night of June 22, a police detail stopped Bruce Anthony Boles, 31, 222 W. Scott St., near the intersection of Main Street and Martin Luther King Drive.
“He jumped out of his vehicle and started running,” Purnell said.
Officers ended up catching Boles and also discovered the pistol in his car. Boles, also a felon, fled the vehicle stop simply because “he didn’t want to get caught with a gun,” Purnell said.
Boles was charged with careless driving, driving with a suspended license, possession of a firearm by a felon, resisting arrest by running and possession of a stolen firearm.
Once Boles was in custody, he gave police information that led them to Woods, the chief said.
Like Woods, Boles has been turned over to MDOC while awaiting trial.
Purnell said Woods was an opportunist, looking for unlocked vehicles.
“He’s not going to break into it, but if you leave it open, he is going into it,” the chief said.
Since Woods’ arrest, the number of burglary and theft calls from North Greenwood has dropped significantly, Purnell said. He advised those who carry firearms in their vehicles to exercise caution.
“If you’ve got a weapon you carry with you, take it with you. Lock your vehicle,” he said.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
