Multiple area law enforcement agencies are on the lookout after a report of vehicles being broken into turned into a vehicle pursuit and a pair of weapons being stolen.
South Jacksonville and Jacksonville Police responded to the 100 block of Labor Drive at approximately 4:30 Monday morning after a caller reported their neighbor’s truck was in the process of being broken into.
According to a report by the South Jacksonville Police Department, an officer located a suspect vehicle and attempted to initiate a traffic stop but the vehicle fled the area at a high rate of speed.
South Jacksonville Police terminated the pursuit in the vicinity of South Main Street and East Morton Avenue after Jacksonville Police picked up the pursuit. The suspect vehicle continued fleeing east out of town and the pursuit was eventually picked up by a Morgan County Sheriff’s Deputy which was led toward Springfield before the deputy also terminated the pursuit.
Upon further investigation, South Jacksonville Police found a total of three vehicles were broken into and had items removed, including one vehicle that had two firearms removed during the break-in. A wallet and a cup of change were removed from the other two vehicles and according to the report, the wallet was recovered sometime later.
Jacksonville Police also received reports of vehicles being broken into early Monday. A caller in the 1000 block of West College Avenue reported to police at approximately 2:00 am that his vehicle had been broken into and a firearm was stolen. In total, an estimated $950 worth of items were removed from the vehicle.
Just before 9:00 am, a caller in the 1000 block of West College reported to police that sometime overnight someone broke a window in her vehicle and her purse was removed from the backseat. Another report of an overnight vehicle break-in came in later Monday morning from the 200 block of Park Street.
South Jacksonville Police say the suspect vehicle in the Labor Drive thefts has not been located at this time and the incidents are all under investigation.
Area residents are asked to keep their vehicles locked up and not leave any valuables in them overnight. Anyone with information on these break-ins is asked to contact the South Jacksonville Police Department at 217-245-9222, the Jacksonville Police Department at 217-479-4630, or leave an anonymous tip with Morgan, Scott Cass Crime Stoppers at 217-243-7300.