Perryville police are searching for suspects in a string of vehicle and weapon thefts that occurred early Friday morning in various locations around the city.
According to department spokesman Cpl. Jeri Cain, reports of the thefts began coming in at approximately 4:30 a.m. Friday morning, and were mostly related to unlocked vehicles from which items had been removed during night.
Two vehicles, along with a handgun and a crossbow, were also reported stolen.
According to the report, the stolen vehicles were a maroon 2010 GMC Acadia and a silver 2013 Chevrolet Sonic. The Acadia, which was reported stolen at approximately 4:35 a.m., had a Missouri license plate of XC9V5C. The Sonic also had a Missouri MO license plate reading EA4A3X.
Cain said both vehicles had the keys inside at the time they were stolen.
The stolen handgun — described as a .357 revolver — was later recovered by officers from the Festus Police Department who were investigating a similar theft from a vehicle in their jurisdiction.
The crossbow, described as a Nitro X taken at the same time as the handgun, has not been recovered.
The reported thefts appear to have been confined to the city limits.
According to Perry County Sheriff Gary Schaaf, his department had received no similar reports as of Friday evening.
All told, Cain said her department received reports of 13 vehicles that had been gone through during the night, from locations spread across the city and that home security video of the suspects show at least one armed with what appears to be a semi-automatic pistol.
“We are releasing security video of one of the suspects and a suspected vehicle involved in the thefts, a white Chrysler 300,” Cain said. “The suspect seen in the video is wearing a PUMA brand sweatshirt and University of Missouri black sweat pants.”
Cain asked that anyone with information about the suspects or vehicles involved to contact the Perryville Police Department at 573-547-4546 or their local law enforcement agency.
She also offered some advice to city residents regarding theft prevention.
“The best preventative measure is to remove valuables from your vehicle at night and make sure the doors are locked,” Cain said. “Most of the time criminals are looking for easy targets such as unlocked vehicles.”
The sheriff's department echoed the same advice in a social media post Friday afternoon, saying, "Please lock your residence, vehicles and other property up.”
