Two men were arrested after investigators used license-plate readers and traffic cameras to track a vehicle tied to a May 16 burglary in Oxford that led to the recovery of more than $140,000 in stolen jewelry, the Booneville Police Department said in a Facebook post.
Oxford Police Department investigators responded to a residence on St. Andrews Road after the burglary and located a point of entry, footprints and a partial fingerprint, according to the post. Surveillance video showed multiple people entering a vehicle reported by neighbors as suspicious, the post said.
Investigators used traffic cameras and tag readers to follow the vehicle and found it had entered town with a different license plate. The search expanded to Alabama after contact with agencies there revealed similar burglaries, and the car was later spotted in Arkansas, Missouri and Illinois, the post said.
Oxford investigators tracked the vehicle to an area in Missouri and guided the Missouri Highway Patrol to it, where officers stopped the car and apprehended two suspects after a foot pursuit. Authorities arrested Fabian Ignacio Navarro-Aliaga, 27, and Marcelo Alejandro Telechea-Droguett, 36, both of Chile; the Oxford Police Department charged them with burglary — forced entry, the post said. Federal charges and immigration detainers were also issued.
Jewelry, firearms and other recovered items are being identified by owners. The post thanked the Missouri Highway Patrol, the Chicago Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security for assistance. The Booneville Police Department said the post illustrates how license-plate readers can connect information across jurisdictions and aid investigations. This is a developing story and will be updated as more details emerge.
