A 17-year-old has been charged as a juvenile in the Wednesday burglary of Outlaw Sporting Goods, which included the theft of some handguns, and police were preparing to charge two other suspects today.
Detrick Doyle, 20, 435 W. Percy St., was to be charged this morning with commercial burglary, possession of stolen firearms and conspiracy to commit a crime. Altorean Course, 19, 311 W. Jefferson Ave., was to be charged with possession of stolen firearms.
Initially, the 17-year-old was going to be charged as an adult, but Leflore County Youth Court Judge Kevin Adams ruled that the suspect be diverted back into the juvenile system. The Commonwealth does not publish the names of juveniles who have not been charged as adults.
Police Chief Ray Moore said the department received an alarm activation from Outlaw at about 1:15 a.m. Wednesday.
When officers arrived, they noticed that a window on the north side had been broken out. They found that a number of handguns had been dropped outside and that someone had broken into several glass cases used to display handguns, he said.
Moore declined to say how many handguns were taken.
Police were able to get descriptions of the burglars based on security camera footage. Within an hour of the break-in, patrol officers spotted the 17-year-old on Leflore Avenue wearing clothing that matched that worn by one person on the security footage.
The juvenile, who was not armed, was stopped, arrested and held for investigation. While being interviewed, the suspect told police where several of the weapons were, Moore said.
Moore said officers at all levels of the department combed the city looking for people who matched the descriptions of those seen on the security camera footage or who are known accomplices of the 17-year-old.
That yielded Doyle, Course and a 20-year-old man who was still being held for investigation today, the chief said.
Moore said some of the stolen handguns have been recovered but others remain unaccounted for. He requested the public’s help with the investigation.
The public may call the Greenwood Police Department at 453-3311 or Greenwood-Leflore-Carroll Crime Stoppers Inc. at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
“Anytime we have illegal weapons, it’s a concern, especially when it involves juveniles and criminals,” Moore said.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
