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Mother and two sons charged in a dozen church burglaries
Associated Press Posted on Thursday, Aug. 10, 2006
JACKSON, Miss. - A Jackson woman and her two sons, including a minor, face burglary charges and authorities say it appears they are responsible for breaking into a dozen rural Hinds County churches.
Betty Ann Hill, 33, Tony Terrell Ford, 17, and the juvenile were traced to their Jackson home after a serial number on one of the stolen items turned up in a national pawnshop database, Hinds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillin said Wednesday.
"Every transaction a pawnshop takes in daily is reported to us," said Jackson Police Department Detective Al LaDoux. "One of the churches had several serial numbers recorded."
McMillin did not identify the juvenile, but said he was a son of Hill.
When deputies arrived at the house, they found Hill and several computers and televisions. She initially was placed under arrest on suspicion of receiving stolen property, McMillin said.
After questioning Hill, her two sons were also arrested. All three have been charged with burglary of a business.
Deputies are still going to area pawnshops to recover items.
McMillin said the serial numbers allowed investigators to crack the case. "If we had the same information minus the serial numbers, we would still be looking (for the items)," he said.
The stolen items had a total value of more than $10,000, authorities said, and included televisions, computers, a video game system, guitar, keyboards, amplifiers and a refrigerator.
McMillin said the churches were relatively easy targets.
"The churches we are talking about are rural, isolated, and most times nobody's there during the week," McMillin said.
Copyright 2006 the Sun Herald |
