OKTIBBEHA COUNTY — A group of teens led law enforcement on a wild ride across the county Saturday morning.
Six of the juveniles are in custody, facing charges ranging from auto burglary and felony fleeing to armed robbery, Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Brett Watson told The Dispatch. A seventh juvenile has been identified but is still at large. All are males.
Watson said OCSO responded early Saturday morning to reported auto burglaries at The Links apartment complex off Old Highway 12 west of Starkville. Witnesses gave a description of the vehicle in which the suspects were traveling, and deputies spotted the car nearby.
When deputies approached, the vehicle — containing the seven teens — took off, leading a chase through Starkville and a good portion of the eastern side of the county.
Mississippi Highway Patrol assisted in the chase, and law enforcement employed spike strips near Crawford to stop the vehicle. All seven teens bailed from the car and ran from officers. Five were caught and arrested at the scene, Watson said, and two firearms were recovered from the vehicle. Starkville police arrested another suspect on Tuesday.
Two of the arrested suspects so far have been charged in an armed robbery at another apartment earlier Saturday, Watson said. Others from the group are expected to be charged for that, as well.
“Ultimately, I expect they will be charged as adults,” Watson said of those involved in the armed robbery. “But we’re not going to release their names until clearing it with youth court.”
Brandon Lovelady, public information officer for Starkville Police Department, said five of the suspects also face auto burglary-related charges from other incidents in the city, all of which will be processed through youth court.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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