Media Contact: Deputy Chief Troy Daniels | 217-403-6909 | [email protected]
On Friday September 16, at approximately 12:32 AM, Champaign Police apprehended three suspects in the 2300 Block of Sangamon Dr. in connection with area burglaries to motor vehicles (BMVs). Arrested was an 18-year-old female, Inece Hunt and a 15-year-old male juvenile, both of Champaign.
A police officer who was patrolling the Southwest District neighborhood observed three suspects leaving from an area where it appeared a vehicle may have just been entered. Upon contact with the suspects, officers gained information connecting two of the individuals to multiple burglaries in the area and seized various items on their person, including a stolen stun gun.
Inece Hunt was transported to the Champaign County Jail for the charges of Burglary to a Motor Vehicle, Unlawful Use of Weapon and Possession of Stolen Property.
Fingerprint matches would positively identify the 15-year-old male, who was transported to the Youth Detention Center, as being connected to multiple burglaries.
It was unclear at the time of arrest the extent of involvement from the third suspect—an 18-year-old female—who was taken into police custody and later released.
Champaign Police are continuing to follow-up on this investigation to determine the suspects’ involvement in area vehicle burglaries. Anyone with information related to these investigations is encouraged to contact the Champaign Police Department at 217-351-4545 or Crime Stoppers at 217-373-8477.
Residents are reminded that police have seen a county-wide increase in both residential and motor vehicle burglaries and encourage the following safety tips to help in burglary prevention efforts:
- See Something, Say Something. Call Police if you see a crime or suspicious activity in your neighborhood.
- Lock It-Hide It-Keep It. Always keep residential and car doors locked when you are at home and when you’re away. Most area vehicle burglaries have occurred to cars that were left unlocked.
- Do not leave your property unattended. Always close your garage doors, remove valuable items from your car and do not leave anything of value accessible for someone else to walk off with.
- Make sure the exterior of your home is well-lit at night. Help light your block by keeping a light on at night or consider a motion-activated light that comes on at the onset of a presence on your property.
- Install deadbolts, double key locks and additional locks for windows and patio doors. Secure any sliding doors by placing a steel rod, broomstick, or dowel inside the door channel.
- Keep records of serial numbers for valuables stored in a safe space or in an electronic database. You may also consider a home engraving kit to mark your property.
- Consider a burglar alarm system that fits your family’s needs.