Three juveniles and an adult are in custody for allegedly stealing guns and gear from an unmarked Columbus Police Department car, according to Chief Fred Shelton.
The four suspects were arrested Monday, he said, and charged with burglary of an auto, which is a felony.
Shelton declined to release the name of the adult suspect because he had not yet been brought before a judge. He said the juveniles ranged in age from 13 to 17. They will be processed through juvenile court.
An unmarked police car parked at an officer’s home was burglarized sometime between Sunday night and Monday morning. An assault rifle, a handgun, body armor and ammunition were stolen from the trunk.
Shelton said the body armor, magazines and some of the ammunition had been recovered. The guns stolen from the officer’s car have not yet been recovered.
“When we arrested the juveniles we recovered two other stolen guns that weren’t related to this case,” Shelton said.
Shelton said there may be more arrests as the investigation continues.
“We are still looking for other persons that we believe are involved in the case, and we have some good leads,” he said.
Shelton also said steps are being taken to equip patrol cars with security systems.
“I will not get into the details, but we have already taken steps to equip our vehicles with additional security to prevent this from happening in the future,” he said.
Shelton also said the department was reviewing its policies about taking equipment home and how it should be stored.
“We’re going to be more proactive about storing guns and equipment so something like this doesn’t happen again,” he said. “We’re checking with other agencies and looking at their policies.”
He said CPD was specifically looking at policies at the Starkville Police Department and Mississippi Highway Patrol for guidance.
Shelton originally said the officer will not face discipline but said Wednesday that had changed.
“They will face discipline for this, but I can’t say more than that because it’s a personnel issue,” he said. “Police officers should have secured the weapons, plain and simple.”
Shelton asked gun owners to be more careful about how they stored their weapons.
“We ask that gun owners lock their doors and don’t store weapons in their vehicles when they’re going to be away from their vehicles for an extended period of time,” he said.
Shelton asked anyone with information on the case to call Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at 800-530-7151 or use the P3 Tips smartphone app. Tips are anonymous, and there is a cash reward if they result in an arrest.
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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