By Kelly Young
kyoung@jacksonvilleprogress.com
You can’t say the leadership of the city of Jacksonville is soft on crime.
After witnessing a juvenile burglarizing a vehicle Saturday morning, Mayor Robert Haberle and City Manager Mo Raissi confronted the culprit, attempted to chase him down and positively identified the alleged thief when he was arrested shortly thereafter.
The 15-year-old juvenile male was taken into custody and charged with burglary of a vehicle, possession of marijuana and minor in possession of tobacco. Detective Daniel Franklin said the Jacksonville Police Department has had “numerous dealings” with the boy.
“The city manager and the mayor were driving in the 400 block of Commerce Street when they noticed a black male juvenile looking in the window of a late-model car parked near The Linda Kay Shop,” Franklin said. “They noticed a bicycle behind the shop and they thought the way he was acting was a little suspicious, so they pulled into a parking spot and watched him.”
When they saw the suspect throw an object through the car’s window, shattering it, they drove toward the juvenile to confront him. According to Franklin, the suspect then hopped on his bicycle and fled the scene, with the mayor giving chase on foot, following him under the overpass but eventually losing sight of him.
“They then contacted JPD, officers checked the area and were able to identify and locate the subject at the Exxon on Highway 69. The mayor then came to the scene of the arrest and was able to identify the boy in custody as the one who they saw at the scene of the crime,” he said.
The suspect was transported to the Anderson County Juvenile Detention Facility. No bond is set on juvenile offenses.
Haberle said it was just a matter of being in the right place at the right time.
“The circumstances that led up to this were purely accidental. We were just minding our own business when we just happened to stumble on a burglary in progress — it was an exciting moment in time,” Haberle said. “I ran as fast as I could, to the point of exhaustion, trying to catch him, and fortunately the police were able to make an arrest.”
The mayor said he is “sick and tired” of crime in Jacksonville.
“I love this town; this is my home. And whether I’m the mayor or just a regular citizen of this city, I will do whatever I can to make this a better place for everybody,” he said.
Wal-Mart robbery
suspect arrested
Last weekend, JPD also arrested one of the three suspects believed to be responsible for the Oct. 18 robbery at Wal-Mart. Mitchell D. Johnson was taken into custody Friday morning in the 200 block of Sycamore Street.
Investigators are still looking for Kristi M. Haney, 27, and Jack Falcon III, 34, who are believed to be Johnson’s accomplices. All three face robbery charges, and Haney is also looking at one count of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of these two can contact JPD at 903-586-2546 or the local chapter of Crime Stoppers at 903-586-7867.
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