Archive for the ‘car break-ins’ Category

Two more arrests made involving “car clouting” in the Smokies

Friday, November 12th, 2010
Earlier this week I reported that several arrests have been made in the Great Smoky Mountains involving car break-ins and thefts. This mornings' NPS Digest is reporting that two more arrests have been made involving 15 vehicle break-ins in recent weeks. Here's the report:

Beginning on September 20th and ending on October 29th, approximately 15 vehicle larcenies occurred within the park at various trailheads, with the vast majority being in the Greenbrier area.

Ranger Jared St. Clair led an investigation by his district ranger staff. They were joined by a Forest Service special agent because many larcenies were also occurring on Forest Service lands. Two suspects were ultimately identified – James and Jamie Walker of Cosby, Tennessee.

On November 3rd, the Walkers were arrested by local police on unrelated charges. When special agent Jeff Carlisle and the USFS special agent interviewed them at the county jail, they admitted to several of the break-ins. Carlisle and St. Clair again interviewed one of the Walkers a few days later. During that interview, he admitted to all the break-ins and added two others. A presentation will be made to the assistant US attorney and both will be charged with multiple felony counts, including breaking and entering, theft of property and bank fraud.

With the closing of these cases, the park has cleared the majority of open larceny cases. Three separate groups of car clouters have been arrested.


Jeff

** Take a moment to check out our Day Hikers Store for maps and books related to hiking, history and travel in the Great Smoky Mountains, Southern Appalachians, Shenandoah and the Blue Ridge Parkway - many of them offered at discounts.

Posted in Greenbrier, arrests, car break-ins, car clouting | Comments Off

Two more arrests made involving “car clouting” in the Smokies

Friday, November 12th, 2010
Earlier this week I reported that several arrests have been made in the Great Smoky Mountains involving car break-ins and thefts. This mornings' NPS Digest is reporting that two more arrests have been made involving 15 vehicle break-ins in recent weeks. Here's the report:

Beginning on September 20th and ending on October 29th, approximately 15 vehicle larcenies occurred within the park at various trailheads, with the vast majority being in the Greenbrier area.

Ranger Jared St. Clair led an investigation by his district ranger staff. They were joined by a Forest Service special agent because many larcenies were also occurring on Forest Service lands. Two suspects were ultimately identified – James and Jamie Walker of Cosby, Tennessee.

On November 3rd, the Walkers were arrested by local police on unrelated charges. When special agent Jeff Carlisle and the USFS special agent interviewed them at the county jail, they admitted to several of the break-ins. Carlisle and St. Clair again interviewed one of the Walkers a few days later. During that interview, he admitted to all the break-ins and added two others. A presentation will be made to the assistant US attorney and both will be charged with multiple felony counts, including breaking and entering, theft of property and bank fraud.

With the closing of these cases, the park has cleared the majority of open larceny cases. Three separate groups of car clouters have been arrested.


Jeff

** Take a moment to check out our Day Hikers Store for maps and books related to hiking, history and travel in the Great Smoky Mountains, Southern Appalachians, Shenandoah and the Blue Ridge Parkway - many of them offered at discounts.

Posted in Greenbrier, arrests, car break-ins, car clouting | Comments Off

Several arrests made involving car break-ins & thefts in Smokies

Monday, November 8th, 2010
A slew of arrests involving car break-ins and car thefts have been reported on the NPS Digest over the last several days.

In the first incident reported last Thursday, two men and a women were arrested for breaking into the car of two college students who had parked their car at the Sugarlands Visitor Center for an overnight backpacking trip in September. The thieves were eventually tracked down after using the victims credit cards.

On Friday, NPS Digest reported that a man was arrested for stealing a van at the Mt. Sterling Gap parking area while a group was out on a hike. Detectives from a neighboring county who were serving an arrest warrant on unrelated charges at the residence of the thief the next day, found the van parked in front of the house. Numerous stolen vehicles in varying states of disassembly were found on the property. Investigators determined that he was operating a “chop shop” for stolen vehicles on his property.

Finally, today, NPS Digest reported that two people were arrested for breaking into the car of a Great Smokies employee while she was out hiking. The two thieves took personal property and credit cards that were subsequently used on numerous occasions at local establishments. One of the stolen items was a camera, which the bandits pawned at an area pawn shop. This would be their foil.

The takeaway: always lock your doors, and never leave any valuables in your car while out hiking. If you must leave valuables behind, at least lock them in the trunk. This isn't advice for just the Great Smoky Mountains, but for any hiking location.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

Posted in Mt. Sterling Gap parking area, Sugarlands Visitor Center, car break-ins, car thefts | Comments Off