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Thieves hit 4 sites in Williams area

CCSD arrest Flag

youth on Monday

The last Tuesday of January was filled with mayhem as two car thieves came to Williams on a burglary spree.

The evening started out with two unidentified men stealing a truck from Flagstaff at approximately 9:30 p.m., according to Scott Feagan, detective with the Coconino County Sheriff’s Department.

“There was a vehicle stolen in Flagstaff out of the Equestrian Estates,” he said. “They were rockin’ — they headed over to Williams after that.”

Two locations in Williams — the St. Agnes Apartments and Williams Chevron — were hit along with the Grand Canyon Deer Farm and the Parks Feed and Mercantile.

“The vehicle was later recovered in Flagstaff,” Feagan said. “There were items within the vehicle that tied it to the burglaries. We don’t know who stole the vehicle.”

The truck was found abandoned at Woody Mountain Store, just west of Flagstaff.

Witnesses at St. Agnes Apartment place the tan ’89 Chevy pickup in Williams around 11 p.m. Tuesday. According to the Williams Police Department report, the thieves pried open the office door and went through the file cabinets and desk.

“The suspects took a suitcase safe, a sword and a large tow chain,” from St. Agnes said Frank Manson, Williams Police chief. “Chevron was burglarized at 11:21 p.m. I think they’re all related. It (Chevron) was 20 minutes later.”

The safe contained birth certificates and communion papers. The missing sword had a cougar head on the handle and was made of chrome stainless steel and wood and had a black and maroon leather sheath.

The suspects apparently rammed the front of Chevron with the stolen vehicle breaking the glass door.

“They just took beer,” said Manson.

A 30-pack of Budweiser, two 12-packs of Coors and eight 6-packs of Budweiser products were taken from the business.

At the Deer Farm, the doors remained closed last Wednesday as investigators inspected the scene for evidence.

“A door was busted in and two cash registers were taken from the scene,” said Feagan. “A high-powered dart gun used to train animals and two Cobra radios were also taken.”

Officers found the cash registers on Route 66, stripped of the small amount of money they were holding.

At the Parks Feed and Mercantile, which houses the Parks Post Office, Parks in the Pines Hair Company and Healing Hands Massage Therapists, quite a few items came up missing.

“They stole a safe, money and broke into an ATM machine and got money out of it,” Feagan said. “From the post office, they got stamps, money orders, cash and sales receipts.

“We’re still trying to determine how much was taken.”

The suspects broke into the business through the back door and also took more beer. Because they burglarized a United States post office, there is a reward for information leading to an arrest.

“There is a reward, up too $5,000, being offered by the U.S. Post Office,” Feagan said.

He said there is also money being offered through Silent Witness.

Arrest made

Last week, detectives were at a loss for suspects.

“Right now we don’t have any leads,” Feagan said on Friday.

Over the weekend, Arizona Department of Public Safety officers found a suspect.

“DPS officers observed individuals parked in a vehicle believed to be using an illegal substance,” Manson said. “The suspects were subsequently arrested. Items in the vehicle connected the them to the burglaries.”

On Monday afternoon, Matthew Miller, 19, from Flagstaff was arrested.

“On Feb. 2, a suspect was arrested by the Coconino County Sheriff’s Department in connection with various burglary incidents between flagstaff and Williams,” said Det. Jim Jones with WPD.

A search warrant was issued from the CCSD, by Feagan and Det. Mike Rice, for a home on Smokerise Drive in Flagstaff.

“Numerous items were seized during the search including at least one item believed to be stolen in a Williams burglary,” Jones said.

The investigation continues and additional arrests are possible. Anyone who has information regarding these crimes is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 774-4523 or Arizona Postal Inspector Richard Dent at 602-223-3256. The number for Silent Witness is 779-6111.


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