Sheriff Jody Dotson of the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of a 17 year old male from Black Rock for commercial burglary, theft of property, criminal mischief, criminal trespassing and breaking and entering.
The arrest came after a report of shots being fired in Portia. A Lawrence County Deputy was in the area and responded, because of it being a shots fired call, back up units from the Walnut Ridge and Hoxie Police Departments responded to help the deputy.
Once on scene, officers quickly discovered the shot fired had been to shoot out the door glass at Latham’s Store. Officers quickly checked the store and discovered a .45 Caliber shell casing and cigarettes strewn all over the place. Other deputies were called out to canvas the neighborhood around Latham’s. Officers soon found residents who had seen a subject running from the store area with what looked like a handgun. Soon it was discovered that several vehicles had been broken into and a .45 caliber Glock handgun was missing from one of the vehicles. At Latham’s it was discovered that mostly cigarettes had been taken.
Deputies continued to talk to residents of Portia and gather more information. A concerned citizen came foward with a possible suspect. Deputies went and spoke with the 17 year old male suspect and his mother. The juvenile was advised of his Miranda rights along with his mother. The juvenile admitted to the break ins and deputies were able to recover almost all of the stolen property including the handgun.
At this time it is unsure how much the dollar amount of the damage to Latham’s was. The juvenile was placed under arrest and transported to a juvenile detention facility in Batesville.
For more information on the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, visit their website at www.lawrencecountysheriffsoffice.com