Rash of Jackson church burglaries ends
The spate of church burglaries that plagued Jackson for more than a month seems to have stopped since the arrests of two men on Feb. 4.
Meanwhile, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has determined that it is unlikely the burglaries are related to 70 unsolved church robberies that took place two years ago in 16 rural northern counties.
"It was obvious to investigators that it was probably not the same people," MBI spokesman John Kalahar said.
In spring and summer 2008, thieves targeted rural churches in Attala, Calhoun, Carroll, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Coahoma, Grenada, Holmes, Lafayette, Leflore, Marshall, Montgomery, Panola, Tallahatchie, Webster and Yalobusha counties. An investigation into those larcenies is still open, Kalahar said.
In the Jackson burglaries, Leonard Gordon, 41, and Tony Lofton, 46, both of Jackson, are charged with receiving stolen goods. The charge carries a $10,000 fine and/or up to 10 years in prison.
Lofton is in the Hinds County jail without bond. Gordon bonded out, but his bond information was not available.
At the suspects' house near Lynch Street, detectives found an electronic keyboard, 10 wireless microphones, a microphone transmitter, a computer and printer.
Assistant Police Chief Lee Vance said after the arrests he was confident more arrests would be made.
Police are monitoring pawn shops for stolen items.
"The detectives are still putting the puzzle together, and every time they talk to someone else, they get another piece," Jackson police spokesman Joseph Daughtry said Tuesday.
More than 14 churches were burglarized in December and January – some more than once.
The problem got so bad, JPD hosted a seminar on security for churches earlier this month. More than 200 people attended.
Churches reported more than $70,000 in equipment stolen.
The most recent burglary was Jan. 26 at New Jerusalem Church on Old Canton Road. Thieves broke a basement window and took about $15,000 in sound equipment and electronics.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20100217/NEWS/2170366/1001/news
