MPPD investigates car thefts
Mount Pleasant Police are investigating a number of car larcenies that occurred throughout the community last weekend.
Police arrested Ryan Hughes, a 28-year-old Mount Pleasant man on Wednesday, Oct. 15 on charges of larceny from a vehicle, resisting an officer, damaging property and attempted larceny of a vehicle. Public Information Officer Jeff Browne said he is not a Central Michigan University student.
“As far as (the thefts) being connected, we would think so. We’re still investigating it as this time,” Browne said. "Unfortunately with car larcenies ,it takes a long time to put them together."
Browne said it is not yet known whether Hughes is connected to the string of car larcenies. MPPD has identified three separate groups committing the thefts in Mount Pleasant, Isabella County and the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe reservation. Not all suspects are in custody yet.
Browne said there were about 70 car larcenies reported in September.
According to a police incident log spanning Oct. 10 Oct. 13, the first of the most current larcenies occurred on Park Street on Friday morning and the last on E. Broadway St. on Saturday morning.
Connecting perpetrators to car larcenies takes a while for several reasons, Browne said. Many victims won't report crimes, he said. Returning stolen items to owners also is a difficult process, since thieves often erase personal information from devices such as iPods.
"You’ll get a bag full of goodies, so to say, and you’ve got to figure out who the bag full of goodies belongs to," Browne said.
Reports of damage to property also increased early this week, with seven Monday and Tuesday and three reports on North Mission Street alone. Broadway Street and Kinney Street were also targeted.
“We have had a string of these from High Street to Pickard and Mission to Oak Street," Browne said. "We have had some graffiti artists going through that area of the community.”
Browne said the MPPD is requesting help from the community to identify these suspects. People are encouraged to report tagging incidents if they see them occurring.
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