Dale Phipps, Chief of Police

200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660

http://KingsportTN.gov/City-Services/Police-Department• www.KingsportPDBlog.com

Detectives assigned to the K.P.D. Criminal Investigations Division have been actively investigating these cases, while additional officers have been conducting directed proactive patrols in an effort to deter these type of crimes from occurring and apprehend those individuals responsible.

These efforts have paid off and have resulted in the arrests of two adults, Kyle Moosman and Dakota East, and five juveniles (names not released due to minor ages) who have all been implicated in this recent series of crimes. The juveniles include four 16 year olds and one 17 year old (all males).

Nine stolen vehicles and 25 auto burglaries have been positively linked to this group of individuals. To date, eight of the stolen vehicles have been successfully recovered.

Many of the suspects, including several of the juveniles, were in possession of firearms when they were apprehended. As a result of these arrests, a total of six firearms were taken off the street, two of which had been reported stolen during this recent string of motor vehicle thefts and auto burglaries.

The charges placed against these individuals include motor vehicle theft, auto burglary, theft of property, aggravated assault, evading arrest, and assorted weapons law violations. This is still an open and active investigation, and additional charges are forthcoming.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT NONE OF THESE VEHICLES WAS FORCIBLY ENTERED! EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM HAD BEEN LEFT UNLOCKED!

The Kingsport Police Department continues to stress the importance of utilizing simple, common-sense, crime prevention measures to help prevent the crimes of motor vehicle theft and auto burglary from occurring.

Very rarely does a criminal force entry into a vehicle or “hotwire” a vehicle in order to steal it. Almost all auto burglaries are to unlocked vehicles, and almost all stolen vehicles are stolen when the owner leaves the key or electronic key fob in it.

These are, more often than not, crimes of opportunity that are easily preventable by following these tips:

· Never leave your vehicle unlocked while unattended.

· Never leave the key (or electronic key fob) inside your parked and unoccupied vehicle.

· Never leave your car key (or electronic key fob) in an unsecure location.

· Never leave your vehicle running unless you are actually in it.

· Never leave items of real or perceived value in plain sight inside your vehicle.

Finally, NEVER store a firearm in an unoccupied vehicle, particularly not overnight, and especially if you have no intention of locking your vehicle! Firearms falling into the wrong hands of a criminal, especially a juvenile criminal, can have tragic consequences!

“By imploring citizens to practice these basic strategies, we are absolutely not blaming the victims of these crimes,” stressed K.P.D. Public Information Officer Tom Patton. “Criminal acts are the responsibility of the criminals and the criminals alone; however, it is incumbent upon all law abiding citizens to do their part in helping prevent these crimes of opportunity from happening, especially if it is something as simple as removing a key and locking a door.”

Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit

423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-343-9749 (FAX)

ThomasMPatton