Police search for clues in local burglary, car fires
By JESSICA KELLER
ARGUS OBSERVER
Thursday, July 3, 2008 10:50 AM PDT
PAYETTE — The Payette Police Department is investigating a burglary of a Payette grocery store that is believed to be connected to two stolen vehicles that were set on fire recently.
Payette Police Chief Mark Clark said police have identified four people they believe were involved in a burglary at Jerry’s Market, 650 N. Sixth St., which occurred in the early morning hours Sunday.
Clark said police responded to an alarm at the grocery story. When officers arrived, they discovered the front door window had been broken and blood was on the glass. Several cases of beer and several cartons of cigarettes, worth about $500, were stolen.
Clark said the store’s surveillance video depicted two suspects in gang attire — wearing red hats and red bandannas.
The burglary is still under investigation, but Clark said officers believe the four people at the center of their probe all have gang ties.
However, no arrests have been made yet.
“Right now we’re in the middle of that, but we anticipate arrests soon,” Clark said.
Clark said police believe those same four people are also involved in the theft of a 1984 Ford Bronco that was reported missing from a nearby residence in the 1000 block of Seventh Avenue North. That car, which was set on fire, was later found by Malheur County Sheriff’s Office deputies Sunday on Oregon Highway 201 near Stanton Boulevard, north of Ontario.
The Ontario Police Department is also investigating a similar incident where a GMC van, which belonged to Hells Canyon Electric in Weiser, was set ablaze, in the 800 block of North Oregon Street in Ontario.
“We believe that the same suspects that committed the burglary are the ones who committed the arson,” Clark said, adding police believe the persons of interest are related to Ontario’s arson. “We are currently working with Ontario right now in putting the arson cases together and the burglary case.”
Clark also confirmed police have information linking one of the individuals to a similar burglary at Lowell’s Market in New Plymouth where someone broke in through the front door window and stole cigarettes and beer. OPD Capt. Mark Alexander said OPD is investigating one other case of a car set on fire that could possibly be related. That incident occurred at about 3:45 a.m. June 23 in the 600 block of Northwest First Street. Alexander said the vehicle, a 1995 Cadillac Deville, was not stolen, but was set on fire in front of the owner’s residence.
In other Payette police news, officers also made arrests in two separate burglary cases.
Police arrested Cory Rogers, 18, Payette, on two charges of burglary that occurred at about 1:30 a.m. June 25 at a trailer and pickup truck in the 1600 block of Sixth Avenue South. The owner of the trailer and pickup reported several items were stolen, including a television and CD player. Officers identified Rogers when he and two others were recognized through video surveillance from the Chevron station in Payette, acting suspiciously. Clark said it appears the three were going to rob the Chevron but got scared off.
Clark said police believe, based on physical evidence Rogers — and perhaps the other two — who have not been arrested yet were also responsible for an attempted burglary at the Smoke Shop in Payette.
Police also arrested two teenage boys, ages 15 and 16, for stealing eight guns from a residence in the 100 block of Eighth Avenue North on June 16.
Police had actually found most of the guns when speaking with the pair on an unrelated matter.
Clark said, since the teens had “no legitimate reason” for possessing the guns, they were confiscated.
When the guns were reported missing, police identified the guns in the teens’ possession as the ones reported stolen. Clark said the teens said they threw a couple of the guns in the Snake River, and police did not recover those.
