Man suspected of nearly two dozen burglaries in Mid-Missouri
A Columbia man is now suspected in nearly two dozen burglaries throughout the city and Boone County.
On Friday, Columbia police confirmed Ty’Ihonn Riley, 20, was possibly tied to 13 break-ins. Boone County deputies previously said they are investigating Riley’s involvement in almost a dozen burglaries.
Last week Riley was arrested on Bethany Drive after police searched for evidence in several burglaries. During that search, they found nearly 100 grams of marijuana in the residence.
For the past week, Boone County investigators have been working on the case against Riley and now he is connected to at least 10 burglaries in the county.
Boone County detectives say Riley hit areas like Hill Creek, Copper Creek, Midway and Lake of the Woods.
Investigators served search warrants at Riley’s home and storage unit where they found stolen items, including iPads and several firearms.
“When we went into the storage unit, we located quite a bit of property that had been reported stolen,” said Det. Tom O’Sullivan of the Boone County Sheriff’s Department.
Authorities say a witness provided information about a vehicle near one of the burglaries, leading them to Riley. However, they do not believe Riley acted alone and are still investigating.
“Just follow up on leads and try to identify other people that may have been acting in concert with Mr. Riley, because we feel fairly certain he wasn’t doing this all by himself,” said O’Sullivan.
O’Sullivan said his detectives do have several leads that they are currently pursuing. He told ABC 17 News no one was hurt in any of the burglaries, but one victim’s dog was injured.
Riley is facing numerous charges including unlawful possession of a weapon, felony stealing, burglary, property damage and animal abuse.