Boone County sheriff and county commissioner discuss thefts at Midway

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Boone County Sheriff's Department has received 13 reports of larceny and burglaries in the area of Midway in Boone County in the last month.

Sgt. Brian Leer from the Boone County Sheriff's Department said the department believes there are several people involved in the thefts.

A majority of thefts have been from garages, barns, trailers and open areas like fields or lawns.

Leer said the individuals have been stealing items of different values and things that are easily sold or moved. For example tools, chain saws, hunting equipment, batteries, etc.

Ed Algya was a victim of crime.

"Woke up one morning and I was getting stuff out of my garage for the day and went to find a certain tool and it wasn't in the location that I normally put it and then I started noticing other power tools missing," he said.

"It was kind of scary wondering what else and if they were going to come back and things like that, so it was very unnerving. "

Sheriff Dwayne Carey and Boone County Commissioner Fred Parry spoke at a town hall meeting Monday to address the crime. The meeting was at the Superior Garden Greenhouse at 2450 Trails West.

Sheriff Dwayne Carey said the department has increased patrols in the area and has deputies in plain clothes and unmarked cars driving through.

He encouraged people to write down serial numbers from their property and mark items with something distinguishable.

Carey also discussed posts on a Facebook group that Lisa Salter started three years ago, that has been very active since the thefts began.

Algya said his wife is part of the group.

Salter was also at the meeting. She said she thinks the Facebook group helps because there is power in numbers.

"If my home was broken into I need to let my neighbors know. My neighbor may have small children. My neighbors may have things that are precious to them locked up in their homes.

The sheriff's department provided a list of things people in the area can do to help with the investigation.

• Record Make, Model, and Serial Numbers for valuable property
• Mark tools and equipment with an owner applied identifier (e.g., number, initials, etc.)
• Keep garages, out buildings, and work trailers locked
• Maintain good lighting around homes, garages, and out buildings (lights triggered by motion sensors work great)
• Keep expensive tools, equipment, and other property out of sight as to not catch the attention of thieves
• Report thefts and suspicious activity, even if nothing was stolen or only items of little to no value were stolen.  You could provide the information that is the missing piece in an investigation and that could possibly lead to an arrest(s)

Both Salter and Algya said they thought the meeting was beneficial to residents in the area.

"I came away with a couple things. I think just the idea that the sheriff's department, county commissioner is interested in what we think and what we're concerned with and how we can help each other," Algya said.

The sheriff's department is still investigating the thefts, but Carey said it is close to making some arrests.

Check back for updates on this developing story.