Apr 17, 2008

Ava officers Chuck Bunch and Brenda Sellers received reports on April 12 of two business burglaries and one residential burglary, and two days later, on April 14, three subjects were arrested with the assistance of a Douglas County deputy and charged with the crimes. During the early morning hours of April 12, the local MFA was broken into, with entry gained through a west side window. The reporting party indicated approximately 24 Case knives were missing from a damaged display case and several store tools were strewn around the business. On the same morning, police received a report that a business on NW 4th Ave. had been burglarized and a carton of cigarettes taken. The subjects returned to the same residence and found the occupant had been awakened by the initial forcible entry and confronted the suspects when they returned. When confronted by the home owner, the suspects fled. Also, on the same morning, the same suspects entered the Ava Pawn business on S. Jefferson St. and took approximately $100 from the cash register. Entry to that building was gained by making a hole in the cinder block wall. On April 14 a vehicle believed to have been involved in the earlier incidents was identified by Douglas County Deputy James Verow. The vehicle was damaged and appeared to have been wrecked. During the same time period, a resident reported that two subjects had knocked on his door and asked for a ride back to town in the early morning hours. He provided the subjects a ride and dropped them off at a residence on SW 6th St. Officers Bunch, Sellers and Verow followed up on information given and located all three suspects at the residence. Taken into custody and charged with felonies of 1st degree residential burglary, two counts of 2nd degree business burglary, and possession of burglary tools were Cody R. Ingram, 17, and James “Boyd” Hill, 17. A third suspect, Eugene White Jr. was charged with two counts of 2nd degree business burglary and possession of burglary tools. All three are currently being held in the Douglas County Jail.