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Belpre man arrested, suspected stolen property recovered
By: Brendon Butler
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The Washington County Sheriff's Office says it has recovered a large quantity of stolen property thought to be from a string of vehicle burglaries from unlocked vehicles in the Vincent area over the past few weeks. The incidents were reported from streets including Veto Road, Barth Road and Ridgewood Court.
Deputies executed a search warrant Monday evening at the residence of Eric L. Touvell at 310 Maple St. in Belpre. Deputies recovered property including XBox and Sony Playstation game systems, GPS units, stereo equipment, various weapons, cameras and hunting equipment. None of the items had markings identifying its owners. Police have released photos from memory cards on the recovered cameras. Anyone who recognizes the photos is encouraged to contact the Sheriff's Office at (740) 376-7070 extension 0.
Sheriff Larry Minks Sr. said there have been between 30 and 35 reported car burglaries over the past few weeks.
"These people will start at one end of a street and they'll go from car to car or truck to truck until they find one that's open, and then just take everything that's in there … then they'll go on to the next one. Now in the morning when people come out, sometimes they notice it, sometimes they don't."
It may be days before the thefts are reported, the sheriff said. At that point it's hard to pin down where and when the thefts occurred.
To protect themselves from vehicle burglary, Sheriff Minks suggests people lock their cars and park in well-lighted areas or a locked garage if possible. The sheriff also advised engraving items in a hidden place with the last four digits of the owner's social security number so they can be identified later.
"If you have firearms I'd definitely write down the serial numbers — or anything that you have that's worth anything — I would get a list, put what it is and put the serial number down. That helps out a lot in recovering your property," Sheriff Minks said.
Touvell is being held at the Washington County Jail on a probation violation for burglary out of Geurnsey County. He may be charged with receiving stolen property, Sheriff Minks said.