GREENFIELD — An Indianapolis man has been arrested and charged in connection with several car break-ins in Greenfield over the past 10 days in which vehicles, guns and money were stolen.
Carl Mays Jr., 18, Indianapolis, was arrested over the weekend by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and remains in the Marion County Jail, where he has been charged with auto theft and theft, which are Level 6 felonies, officials from the Greenfield Police Department said.
Mays is one of several teenagers who has been accused of working in separate groups, breaking into unlocked cars on two nights last week and taking anything of value they could find, officials said. Several more arrests are expected soon, GPD deputy chief Matt Holland said.
“It wouldn’t surprise us if the two different groups we’re looking at from the different incidents in Greenfield were working together,” Holland said.
Not only do police believe the break-ins are all related, they also think all the suspects are from the Indianapolis area. Police do not think there is a local connection.
Officers from IMPD served several search warrants in the area of West Washington Street and Belmont Avenue over the weekend and were able to recover three of the four stolen vehicles taken from Greenfield. They also recovered several handguns and other items taken during the Greenfield thefts.
The waves of break-ins occurred overnight on Sept. 7 and Sept. 13. In both cases, groups of people canvassed vehicles parked in driveways. All the vehicles they entered were unlocked, police said.
On Sept. 7, 17 break-ins were reported in neighborhoods on the south side of Greenfield. Two vehicles were reported stolen after keys were left inside them, police said. The incidents occurred in the early morning hours, and police obtained home security footage of four suspects. In one instance, a video camera captures one of the suspects casually entering a sedan, backing out of the driveway, and driving off.
Then, on Sept. 13, GPD officers investigated 15 more break-ins in the Liberty Shores neighborhood on the west side of Greenfield. At least one handgun and two more vehicles were taken. Police also obtained home security footage of the suspects.
Holland said GPD is thankful to the homeowners for sharing the video, which he said was important to the investigation. However, Holland is reminding people to stay vigilant. Even as police were closing in on the suspects, a couple of car breaks-ins over the weekend were reported, including one in which a gun was taken.
“There could still be some other groups out there,” Holland said. “We’re still following up leads.”
Police say people should not try to approach anyone they see breaking into a car, but should instead immediately call 911. Holland noted the groups committing the break-ins could still be active and armed.
Police also reiterated the importance of locking vehicles. Thieves are clearly shown in the videos moving past those that are locked and looking for other targets.
