A long line of vehicle burglaries across area counties came to an end last Thursday as evidence collected by the Jerauld County Sheriff’s Office led local law enforcement and state and federal agencies to the criminals responsible for the theft.
“They targeted unlocked trucks and cars early Thursday morning,” said Jerauld County Sheriff Jason Weber. “We are at ten plus vehicles and counting and the investigation is ongoing.
Weber said that the suspects stole cash, tools, firearms and a vehicle in Wessington Springs.
“It was completely random, sporadic all over town and no suspects were from Jerauld County,” he explained. “We started investigating at 7 a.m. and had the suspects identified three hours later.”
Deputy Dawn Lake said that this is a good reminder to lock car doors but also remain vigilant by utilizing motion lights and security cameras.
“We are a small town but we aren’t insulated from the issues outside of the area like drugs and crimes like this,” she said. “Remember we are right along the SD Highway 34 and 281 junction — which runs from Canada to Texas — and gets lots of traffic.”
Lake recommends pulling valuables out of vehicles and “absolutely do not leave guns in vehicles.”
She also encourages gun owners to write down serial numbers for their firearms. “Our biggest problem with stolen guns comes in when law enforcement can’t enter and track stolen guns accordingly — we can’t do that without the serial number.”
Weber pointed out that it never hurts to call the sheriff’s office if you see something suspicious, as it could help law enforcement connect the dots to other crimes.
“These individuals have recently targeted other small communities in three other counties,” Weber said. “I’m proud of our ability to quickly identify the criminals and hold them accountable.”
