Deputies make arrest in vehicle entries

May 3—Daviess County authorities are reporting the arrest of a Washington man in connection with multiple vehicle entries and thefts.

Thursday, deputies did searches at several locations resulting in the arrest of Brayton L. White, 23, Washington on nine counts of theft plus charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of marijuana.

"This came out as a result of good old-fashioned police work and tips from the public. The public was really helpful in giving us some security footage for properties and it helped us figure out where we need to go and who we need to look at," said Daviess County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Steve Sturgis. "Most of these are break-ins on vehicles. The person was just walking around looking into vehicles. If it was locked he moved on. If it was unlocked, he would get inside and take whatever he could."

Deputies say the thefts they have tied to White involve everything from a pair of handguns to piles of tools.

"Some of the victims reported a large number of tools taken that had quite of bit of value to them. We are not certain if they came out of a truck or perhaps from a shed on a property," said Sturgis. "We have been able to directly link him to the thefts south of Washington and to those in Montgomery and Cannelburg. We've recovered two stolen handguns so far. One was out of Pike County. We are unsure if he has been doing this in other counties."

Authorities report about a dozen cases have been cleared over White's arrest, but Sturgis points out the investigation is far from over.

"We've recovered a large amount of property. We are going through these items piece by piece trying to determine if it was stolen and who it belongs to," he said. "This is an on-going investigation. We are processing all of the property we have recovered."

Since the first of the year, the sheriff's department has handled dozens of similar complaints including a number in the Plainville and Elnora areas.

"At the moment we have not been able to tie him to those," said Sturgis.

Sturgis had praise for the deputies involved in the case, pointing out that they were able to make an arrest despite some criticism from the public.

"We were catching some negative comments from the public, which was understandable. People want their property protected and back and they were frustrated. There were multiple events," he said. "We do a lot of work behind the scenes. We are constantly comparing notes. We were out on patrols. I am proud of them. Every shift was out and being mindful."

White was being held in the Daviess County jail with a bond of $10,000, cash only.