Three teens allegedly linked to multiple burglaries

Three teens arrested Sunday have been connected with a string of recent vehicle burglaries and thefts, as well as a convenience store burglary that occurred within the past six weeks, according to police. Furthermore, police say, the group is also connected to a similar series of car burglaries that occurred in April.

Sulphur Springs Police Det. Sgt. Brian Shurtleff said investigators were able to link the three teens—Clarence Ofield of Greenville and Jumierquai Doverieay Davison and Kelley Durayl

Waterhouse, Jr., both of Sulphur Springs, to a 17-year-old arrested last week.

The teens were arrested at 12:58 a.m. Sunday following unsuccessful attempts to evade police during a traffic stop.

Officers reportedly stopped a black Dodge Durango at a fast food restaurant on the eastbound Interstate 30 service road. All three occupants of the Durango reportedly fled on foot. The Durango was reportedly found to be stolen in Sulphur Springs.

Clarence Ofield was reportedly observed running across Interstate 30 away from the location of the traffic stop. He was stopped in the parking lot of a Mockingbird Lane restaurant and reportedly admitted to being the driver of the vehicle.

Jumierquai Doverieay Davison, allegedly a passenger in the vehicle, was arrested in the 1300 block of South Broadway Street. Kelley Durayl Waterhouse, Jr. was reportedly also a passenger in the vehicle. 

Shurtleff said surveillance video of suspects breaking into cars this past weekend led them to a suspect vehicle, which then led to 17-year-old Chanin Ardwon Holiness of Sulphur Springs, who was arrested last Thursday on one count of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. 

Investigators had additional information from informants and further security footage that allowed them to link Davison and Waterhouse to the same series of vehicle burglaries and stolen vehicles, Shurtleff said. 

“We haven’t eliminated everybody, but we have determined that the two primary suspects in this big crime spree over the last six weeks—including 10 vehicle burglaries, three stolen vehicles and one convenience store burglary—that Davison and Waterhouse are the two common factors in all of [the cases]. They had accomplices with them sometimes, but they were there for all of them,” Shurtleff said.

During the month of September, Sulphur Springs experienced as many as 11 incidences of items stolen from vehicles, according to incident reports. Incident reports are reports made by police without a corresponding arrest report. 

According to incident reports, items taken from vehicles included credit or debit cards, purses and in some cases, firearms or weapons. 

Police posted to social media surveillance video of the burglary of the convenience store, located on College Street. Incident reports note damage to the business’s front glass window. 

October experienced three vehicle break-ins with similar missing items, according to incident reports. 

“Every single one of these individuals was tied to the exact same thing back in the spring. There was a rash of vehicle burglaries of unlocked vehicles and also stolen vehicles where the keys were left inside,” Shurtleff said.

In the case of the April burglaries, Ofield, Davidson and Waterhouse were arrested in connection with eight documented thefts which occurred in the northeast section of Sulphur Springs in the Harred Street area. Taken items included up to $2600 in cash, other valuables and a light green Mercury Mountaineer. 

At the time, Detective David Gilmore told the News-Telegram the only thing police had recovered from the burglaries was “a pair of pink earbuds and an iPhone charger.”

Shurtleff stressed the importance of locking vehicles and not leaving valuables inside.

“Probably 95% of our motor vehicle burglaries are due to unlocked cars. We’ve seen many times on surveillance where [thieves] will try three or four vehicles that are locked.Then they get to the fifth one and it’s unlocked and they steal everything.

The detective urges those who feel that they may have been the victim of a burglary to contact police in order to file a report. Shurtleff also asks that citizens lock their car doors and remove valuables from sight. 

“Locking your car at night will usually prevent this type of thing from happening,” he said. “There’s nothing you can do to completely eliminate it, but you can sure put yourself in a better position for it to not happen to you if you just do those two things.”

Ofield’s bond was set at $22,000. Davison’s bond was set at $7,000. Waterhouse Jr.’s bond was set at $12,000. Holiness’s bond was set at $5,000. All four remained in custody at press time Wednesday.

*Originally published in the Tuesday print edition of the News-Telegram, more information has since become available on this story. This story has been updated to reflect those changes