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The third time was the charm Sunday, as police arrested four juveniles after the teens crashed a stolen vehicle into an Eastgate warehouse and took several firearms.
Lt. Scott Blankenship of the Union Township police said officers were called around 6:10 a.m. after an alarm went off at the Sportsman's Warehouse on Eastgate Drive.
All four of the suspects are facing multiple charges, including theft of firearms from a federally licensed firearms dealer, he said in a Facebook post.
Blankenship said similar offenses have occurred in other areas such as Newtown, Northern Kentucky, and Miami Township. He added that the suspects arrested Monday are believed to be linked to the other break-ins.
But this was the third stop for the would-be gun thieves on Sunday, according to Newtown Police Chief Tom Synan. He says the subsequent investigation showed the teens tried to steal weapons from two other gun shops Sunday morning before landing in Union Township.
All told, there have been at least five attempted or successful break-ins to gun shops in the region in the past two weeks.
First stop: Miami Township, Clermont County
The first stop Sunday was an unsuccessful attempt at Just Guns and Ammo on Ohio 131 in Miami Township. Synan said a car taken in Kentucky was used to try to get into the store in the early morning hours.
Synan said the stolen vehicle was driven into the building. That car damaged the building but not enough that the would-be gun thieves could enter the store. So they drove that stolen car on to Newtown.
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Newtown's next
Synan said at 5:39 a.m. Sunday, a stolen vehicle was driven into the Range USA building on Round Bottom Road in an attempt to gain entry into the business.
But Synan said his department had talked to people at Range USA on Thursday about other gun store robberies and he said third-shift officers had noticed some suspicious activity.
So after the police talked to the business owners, Range USA installed some large boulders in front of the glass windows at the front of the building.
"They were so cooperative and proactive," he said. "We got there Sunday and that car was sitting on the rocks."
When that attempt failed, the suspects left their first stolen car and fled in a second stolen vehicle.
Union Township was the last stop
When Union Township officers arrived at Sportsman's Warehouse, they saw a white Hyundai leaving the area at high speed without headlights on. Blankenship said the driver then crashed on Eastgate Boulevard and three suspects fled on foot. Police caught three initially and a fourth was later found.
Cooperation may have ended the spree
"It was great work and quick actions by the officers of Union Township Police, Clermont County that may be the catalyst for putting an end to this spree by apprehending the suspects," Synan said.
"We will be working with all local agencies and ATF to file charges for the Newtown incident."
He said the cooperation, sharing information and proactivity by the gun shops all made for a quick resolution.
"I would also like to thank the public for the tips on the possible connection to another attempted theft in our area," he said. "We are following up on those tips to see if there is a connection."
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of suspects responsible for breaking into the two gun stores in Florence.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cars rammed into 3 more gun stores; teens arrested in firearms thefts
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