An investigation into the burglary of Conklin Brothers Tire & Auto in Ark City earlier this month, has led to the arrest of a local man.
24-year-old Hunter T. Mitchell was developed as a suspect in the incident, which was reported to Arkansas City Police on July 15. Mitchell remains in the Cowley County Jail following his arrest Friday.
He was booked on charges of burglary to a locked non-dwelling, burglary of a motor vehicle, theft, two counts of attempted theft, four counts of criminal damage to property and two counts of criminal trespass. Bond is set at $17,500 and Mitchell remained in Jail at the time of this report.
Kansas Dept. of Corrections records online show Mitchell is a previously convicted felon.
Last week, police were called to Conklin Brothers Tire & Auto, 1426 N. Summit, for the report of a burglary. Upon arrival, officers discovered three vehicles had been damaged in the back parking lot of the business, and the rear garage door glass had been broken.
The business owner reported an estimated $13,000 worth of property stolen from inside the building.
Surveillance footage revealed what appeared to be an unknown male entering the premises from the rear lot, causing damage to the vehicles and stealing various items from inside the business.
Three days later, officers located Mitchell, at a residence in the 1500 block of N. 9th St. Mitchell, police said in a written media release, was wearing clothing similar to what the suspect wore in the surveillance video and had a knife that matched the description of one stolen during the burglary. Inside the residence, officers also found a red tote containing items confirmed to have been stolen from Conklin Brothers Tire & Auto.
Mitchell was detained and transported to the Arkansas City Police Department, where he was Mirandized and interviewed. During the interview, police said, Mitchell admitted to committing the burglary and provided information on the location of additional stolen items.
Officers were able to recover several of those items and return them to Conklin Brothers Tire & Auto and other affected victims.
