A month-long investigation on the part of multiple police agencies resulted in the arrest of five individuals in connection to a string of car larcenies.

Payne Crawford, 19, Quentin Parker, 20, Thomas Hayter, 19, Corey Johnson, 17, and Ryan Hughes, 28, all of Mount Pleasant, were arrested and arraigned on multiple misdemeanor and felony charges. None of the men are Central Michigan University students.

The five individuals were apprehended with the help of Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribal Police and the Isabella County Sheriff’s Department. Mount Pleasant Public Information Officer Jeff Browne said the MPPD investigated roughly 70 cases of car larcenies since September.

“It started right around the first of September," Browne said. "We started noticing an increase in car larcenies."

The MPPD took to social media and the radio to warn members of the community and provide tips for better protecting a vehicle from theft.

Crawford and Parker were investigated by the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribal Police for an incident occurring within their jurisdiction. It was discovered during investigation that the two men were also tied to car larcenies in Mount Pleasant and throughout the community.

The two face charges from both MPPD and the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribal Police.

Hayter and Johnson were involved in a car pursuit on Tuesday, Oct. 14, with the Isabella County Sheriff’s Department. Sheriff Leo Mioduszewski said deputies pursued the car from Isabella County to Gratiot county.

According to an ICSD press release, the driver, Hayter, lost control of the car and crashed into a bean field. During investigation, officers found a purse inside the stolen vehicle that had been taken from a vehicle linked to the Mount Pleasant thefts.

Hayter and Johnson face charges of home invasion, possession of burglary tools, motor vehicle theft, possession of a controlled substance, receiving and concealing stolen property, breaking and entering a vehicle to steal property and malicious destruction of property from ICSD. Hayter also faces charges of fleeing and eluding a police office and driving with a suspended license.

They also both face charges from MPPD.

Mioduszewski said the ICSD and MPPD began collaborating as soon as his deputies discovered the link between the two cases.

“Our detectives met up with their detectives and they were able to link them through evidence," he said.

Hughes was caught in the act of stealing from a car by Mount Pleasant police and was arrested on Wednesday, Oct. 15. He faces charges only from MPPD.

Some, but not all, of the property stolen during the string of car larcenies has been recovered and returned to the original owners, according to the press release.

Browne said hearings for the men have begun and are still being scheduled. He said he believes the men tied to the majority of recent car larcenies in the community are now in custody and off the streets.

“Obviously, we’d like to think we’ve got the majority of individuals involved,” he said.

Browne said reducing the risk of having items stolen from a car is relatively simply and urges community members to hide their valuable items when away from their car as part of a tactic he calls “out of sight, out of mind.”

“It’s a very quick and easy crime,” Browne said. “If they don’t see anything, they move on to the next vehicle.”

Browne also encouraged community members to report suspicious behavior, such as a stranger in the neighborhood, to the police to help prevent possible thefts.