By Jason C. Mattox
The Panola County Sheriff’s Department is looking for suspects who broke into four vehicles on Highway 35 South during the evening hours Wednesday.
Sheriff’s investigator Mark Whitten said the suspects gained entry into the vehicles by breaking out windows.

“Some of the cars were locked and some weren’t,” he said. “But the funny thing is there was one car with the doors unlocked and the keys in it and they still broke out two windows.”

The investigator said items taken from the vehicles included laptops, cell phones, cameras and purses.

Randy Boren, whose car was broken into, said they took his wife’s purse, but it was later recovered.

“Her purse was ransacked,” he said. “They took her passport and some credit cards, and we found the purse down the street about a mile.

“They tried to use the credit cards three times [Thursday] but we already had them cancelled,” he said.

Boren said the doors of his vehicle were unlocked, and he believes that is how the perpetrators gained entry, as the car was not damaged.

“They broke into my neighbor’s truck, and took his gun belt and service revolver,” he said. “I found the gun belt in my yard and thought the dogs had just dragged it up until all the deputies showed up.”

Whitten said the vehicle burglaries could be related to a burglary spree that took place in June in the Pollard Street area in Batesville.

At least four thieves moved from house to house and stole items from 16 unlocked automobiles.

No one has been charged with those thefts.

Anyone with information about the burglaries is asked to contact the sheriff’s department at 563-6230.