Sheriff and public safety urge vigilance as area faces wave of car break-ins

SIKESTON — In response to a recent uptick in vehicle break-ins, local law enforcement officials are urging residents to ensure their cars are locked and valuables are secured.

Scott County Sheriff Derick Wheetley said due to the break-ins, he wanted to reiterate to the citizens of the county to increase their awareness.

According to Wheetley, the Mini Farms area, which is a subdivision in rural Sikeston, was recently hit over the past week.

“Just like they have been having issues in Sikeston, out at Mini Farms there are people who are going through the neighborhoods, checking car doors or just anything that could be open that they think is worth getting into,” Wheetley said.

Wheetley said valuable items were snatched out of vehicles at Mini Farms

“Tablets and cash have been stolen from people's vehicles,” Wheetley said. “Luckily, no guns have been snatched from any vehicles.”

Wheetley really encouraged residents in the county to be responsible.

“Remember to lock your cars, keep valuables in your residence, not inside your vehicle,” Wheetley said. “And keep your outside cameras charged, and if possible, keep them in view of your vehicle.”

According to Wheetley, it’s not uncommon for vehicle break-ins happen to occur this time of year.

“It used to happen before Christmas and, slowly, the break-ins would fade off,” the sheriff said.

Aside from vehicles, Wheetley said for individuals to ensure their residences and other buildings are secured.

Wheetley said if anyone has any missing items or suspects their vehicle has been tampered with to contact the Sheriff's Office.

In Sikeston city limits, there have also been recent vehicle break-ins.

Sgt. Tyler Rowe, public information officer for Sikeston Department of Public Safety, also reminded citizens of Sikeston to keep their car doors locked and keep any valuable items out of sight when left in vehicles.

“We deal with vehicle break-ins in various areas of town,” Rowe said. “We tend to see that when the vehicle break-ins happen, it’s usually in a general area or neighborhood.”

Rowe said home security videos are helpful in trying to identify the suspects. He said there has been some success in catching suspects recently, but he still is encouraging citizens to keep their doors locked.

“We do actively investigate these so we can try to stop the break-ins,” Rowe said. “Typically, it's unlocked vehicles that they are targeting. We aren’t really seeing any damage to get into locked vehicles.

Rowe continued: “We want to stress to citizens to please keep their vehicles locked and to take their keys inside with them.”