2008 Woodie Awards
Public Safety investigation leads to arrests
Heather Roland
Issue date: 1/23/07 Section: Campus News
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The winter break brought forth an excessive number of burglaries into the Martin area, and it has not ended even though students are back on campus.
On the morning of Sunday, Jan. 14, two students woke up on campus to find themselves burglary victims.
They reported to the Department of Public Safety someone had entered their
vehicles were parked in University Courts on the previous night and took a
variety of items, including a stereo system, radar detector and money.
Following a nearly week-long investigation by Lt. Darryl Simmons, Randall Conquest, 22, and Tiffany Steele, 21, both of Carroll County, were arrested by Public Safety for the burglaries. Conquest was charged with two counts of burglary of a motor vehicle, and Steele was charged with two counts of criminal responsibility.
It is alleged that the couple came on campus Saturday night. Conquest is suspected of burglarizing the vehicle, while Steele served as a lookout.
"The couple walked around the parking lot looking for unlocked cars, just like most criminals in our area, who are looking for opportunity," said Scott Robbins, UTM Director of Public Safety.
The couple has made bond and their arraignment hearing was held on Monday in Weakley County General Sessions Court. As of press time, it is unknown when their preliminary hearing will be held; however, Robbins anticipated that it would occur in approximately two or three weeks.
Luckily for these victims of burglary, all of the stolen items were recovered, which is not the case for many. Robbins said that of all burglary crimes, approximately 50 percent of the stolen items are ever recovered. He continued to say that sometimes the stolen items have already been sold to other people. Robbins said that the majority of stolen items include money, stereos and other electronic equipment.
The difficulty of catching thieves varies from incident to incident. In some cases, catching the perpetrator can be extremely difficult, leading to long investigations that do not always get solved. On the other hand, Robbins said that sometimes Public Safety lucks out and can easily find them.
On the morning of Sunday, Jan. 14, two students woke up on campus to find themselves burglary victims.
They reported to the Department of Public Safety someone had entered their
vehicles were parked in University Courts on the previous night and took a
variety of items, including a stereo system, radar detector and money.
Following a nearly week-long investigation by Lt. Darryl Simmons, Randall Conquest, 22, and Tiffany Steele, 21, both of Carroll County, were arrested by Public Safety for the burglaries. Conquest was charged with two counts of burglary of a motor vehicle, and Steele was charged with two counts of criminal responsibility.
It is alleged that the couple came on campus Saturday night. Conquest is suspected of burglarizing the vehicle, while Steele served as a lookout.
"The couple walked around the parking lot looking for unlocked cars, just like most criminals in our area, who are looking for opportunity," said Scott Robbins, UTM Director of Public Safety.
The couple has made bond and their arraignment hearing was held on Monday in Weakley County General Sessions Court. As of press time, it is unknown when their preliminary hearing will be held; however, Robbins anticipated that it would occur in approximately two or three weeks.
Luckily for these victims of burglary, all of the stolen items were recovered, which is not the case for many. Robbins said that of all burglary crimes, approximately 50 percent of the stolen items are ever recovered. He continued to say that sometimes the stolen items have already been sold to other people. Robbins said that the majority of stolen items include money, stereos and other electronic equipment.
The difficulty of catching thieves varies from incident to incident. In some cases, catching the perpetrator can be extremely difficult, leading to long investigations that do not always get solved. On the other hand, Robbins said that sometimes Public Safety lucks out and can easily find them.
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