Four male juveniles, ages 13-15, were arrested Sunday, Oct. 6, in connection with the taking of four automobiles earlier that day, according to Tallahatchie County Sheriff Jimmy Fly.
The teens, all of them Tallahatchie residents, were charged with felony taking of a motor vehicle and conspiracy, said Fly. They were scheduled to appear Tuesday in Tallahatchie County Youth Court.
The stolen vehicles included a 2018 Toyota Tundra reported taken from the Marshall Road Apartments just north of Charleston at 1:44 a.m.; a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado stolen from Little's convenience store in south Charleston at 5:14 a.m., while the owner was inside the store; a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado stolen from outside a Tippo Creek Road residence at 9:12 a.m.; and a 2003 Nissan Altima reported taken from outside a residence on Sharkey Road at 9:49 a.m.
"All of them had their keys left in them," Fly said, explaining how the youth were able to take them.
The vehicles were recovered hours later and returned to their owners, the sheriff noted. Two had minor damage, he said.
The Nissan was found late Sunday morning at the intersection of Leverette Lane and Highway 35 South, where it was abandoned after apparently running out of gas, said Fly.
The remaining three vehicles were discovered later Sunday in Yalobusha County, near Coffeeville Exit 211 off Interstate 55, he noted.
"One was near the exit and the other two had been driven east of the interstate and down a county road," the sheriff said.
When officials found the vehicles, the keys had been removed and the doors locked. The only items reported missing were some hunting clothes, he added.
The sheriff said the identities of the four juveniles were learned after review of surveillance footage from Little's store. Two were arrested Sunday afternoon and two others Sunday evening, he explained.
They directed officials to the location of the vehicles in Yalobusha County, Fly added.
He said no clear motive for the teens' actions has been established.
"I'm not sure what their plans were, but they made a bad decision," the sheriff noted.
In addition to expressing appreciation to the Charleston Police Department, the Yalobusha County Sheriff's Department and his own deputies for their swift work in this case, Fly offered a few words of advice to local motorists.
"I want to remind everyone to keep their vehicle doors locked and to not leave their keys in the vehicle," he said.
