Posted 4:19 am Tuesday, June 26, 2012
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Crime Stoppers Seeks Information On Crimes
Cherokee County Crime Stoppers is seeking information on the following incidents:
• Between 9 a.m. May 24 and 4 p.m. May 25, burglars forcibly entered a residence on Farm-to-Market Road 747, about one mile north of U.S. Highway 79, just outside the Jacksonville city limits.
The burglars kicked in a side door and stole several thousand dollars worth of household electronics and personal property, according to a news release. The homeowner reported that she left the residence on May 24 and returned May 25 to find her house had been completely rummaged through.
Based on the amount of items taken, it appears that the burglars spent several hours inside the residence, possibly entering more than once to remove property, according to a news release. There are no suspects at this time.
• The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office also is asking for information on recent oil field thefts. Between May 29 and June 19, the office worked four separate incidents.
Thieves entered large oil field leases, south of Alto near the area of U.S. Highway 69 and Farm-to-Market Road 1911 and one on County Road 2631, and stealing batteries from the pump stations. According to a news release, 65 batteries were stolen during this time frame, totaling close to $15,000 in repairs and replacement cost.
One witness in the area, during the first theft, reported confronting one man and two women in a small black hatch-back car. The man was described as a thin white male in his early 20s. The women were described as white in their early 20s. The thieves told the witness they were just lost in the area, according to a news release. No other information was available.
The Angelina County Sheriff's Office also is investigating similar oil field thefts, south of the Cherokee County line. Authorities believe the thieves are taking batteries to recycle centers and should be easy to identify because the batteries are larger than a common car battery, should look unused/clean, and have the large white letters UB121100 on the side.
The dates and times of the thefts are: 5 p.m. May 29 to 8 a.m. May 30 (28 batteries); 4 p.m. May 31 to 9 a.m. June 1 (12 batteries); 7 p.m. June 12 to noon June 13 (22 batteries); and 10 p.m. June 18 to 9 a.m. June 19 (3 batteries).
• Between the night of June 7 and the afternoon of June 9, burglars entered at least four boathouses on Lake Palestine in the Shadybrook West subdivision on Farm-to-Market Road 346 near Bullard. According to a news release, in each of the break-ins, the burglars forced open doors to the boathouses and removed fishing tackle, rod and reels, tools, gas cans and batteries from the water craft. Authorities believe the burglars approached and entered the properties from the water, accessing only buildings directly on the lake. This is similar to several burglaries in the same area earlier in the year.
