News
Portsmouth Couple Arrested After Crime Spree
By: Victoria Calderon, WOUB Staff Writer
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Scioto County sheriff's deputies are searching for stolen property following the arrests of a couple they say were behind a county-wide crime spree.
Deputies arrested Matthew Jarrells, 31, and his girlfriend, Heather Bay, 23, both of Portsmouth and charged them with three counts of burglary each.
According to the sheriff's office, the two may be connected to crimes in other parts of the state.
Deputies arrested Jarrells and Bay at a local motel early Wednesday morning after a deputy discovered their stolen vehicle.
A spokesperson from the sheriff's office says a break in the case came last Tuesday while detectives were looking into several burglaries and breaking and enterings in the Minford and Shawnee Forest areas.
TVs, gaming systems, tools, guns and jewelry had been stolen from homes and out buildings.
A neighbor obtained a description and partial tag number from the suspect's vehicle as it left one of the homes at a crime scene in the Shawnee Forest. Detectives say the same vehicle was reported at burglaries in the Minford area.
Detectives found the vehicle was reported stolen from Obetz, Ohio.
After speaking to Obetz Police, investigators were able to identify the suspects when their names were cross-referenced with security video from one of the Minford scenes.
A deputy spotted the stolen vehicle in a motel parking lot after a description of the vehicle was released. Sheriff's detectives and a Portsmouth police officer later arrested the couple.
Detectives were able to recover some of the stolen property from previous burglaries as well as a robbery in Lawrence County.
Property was also recovered at a residence in Portsmouth.