Texarkana Teens Arrested in Connection With Recent Auto Thefts

The Texarkana, Texas Police Department has arrested three teenagers for Vehicle Burglary and Unauthorized Use of Vehicle. At least one additional arrest is expected the near future.

The teenage boys are believed have been responsible for the recent upsurge in vehicle burglaries and thefts that occurred primarily in the Spring Lake Park area.

The arrests of the juveniles, who are ages 15 and 16, may have cleared at least 13 cases that have been reported over the last two months.

A total of 39 arrest warrants have been issued for the four juveniles. Eight vehicles that had been reported stolen have been recovered.

“The juveniles used those stolen vehicles to drive around at night looking for neighborhoods that had several cars on the street or in driveway. They would get out and start checking car door handles. They would steal anything of value from unlocked vehicles that they found. If the keys had been left inside the car, they stole it too and would drive it until it ran out of gas before abandoning it," said Detective Tabitha Colley.

Detective James Dean reminds citizens to always lock their doors, take the keys, and remove anything of value.

“In this case, the juveniles told us that they would just move on to the next vehicle if the car door was locked when they tried it. The only reason that a particular car was broken into was that it was an easy target. It sounds almost too simple, but the single most effective thing that you can do to protect your property is to lock it up," he said.

The juveniles are currently being held in area juvenile detention centers.