A 19-year-old man is being held in connection to a Friday-morning burglary.
Davanta Hayden was arrested Friday morning on Mill Street after police received a stolen-property tip, Cpl. Donnie Elkin said. Charges are still pending and could be issued on Monday, Elkin said.
Columbus Police Chief Selvain McQueen said repeat offenders such as Hayden, who has three previous burglary charges, are one reason why crime is on the rise.
“This man and those like him are public enemy No. 1,” McQueen said. “We keep locking them up, and they keep making bond and getting out. When does it stop?”
Earlier this week, Columbus Mayor Robert Smith named several steps to work toward making Columbus safer, including asking municipal judges to set higher bonds, revamping neighborhood watch programs and encouraging citizens to be more cooperative with law enforcement.
Elkin and McQueen agreed that higher bonds could help the problem.
“It would certainly keep some more of them in jail,” Elkin said.
McQueen said the judicial system needs to re-evaluate how to keep repeat offenders off the streets.
“It’s time for society to decide to get these guys off the streets,” he said. “Not only are they causing destruction and physical violence, but they’re also possibly leaving emotional scars for life.”
McQueen believes repeat offenders such as Hayden would commit crime again if they continue to make bond.
“Each time, they get smarter, and they won’t repeat their same mistakes again,” he said. “If I’m this sick and tired of it, then how do we think those being burglarized feel?”
McQueen promised to be more aware of repeat offenders when they return to the streets.
“If they get out again, I may have to assign staff to follow them 24/7,” he said.
Citizens should continue to remain vigilant when noticing anything suspicious, Elkin said.
“These things are hard to solve without their help,” he said.
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