Man arrested for 3rd time in 2 months, faces charges of theft of car, from cars
KNIGHTSTOWN, Ind. (WISH) — An 18-year-old Indianapolis man has been arrested after police were told of surveillance video showing vehicles broken into in this Henry County town of 2,100 residents, authorities said.
Carl Mays Jr. was arrested Thursday in Henry County. It’s his third arrest since mid-August in a central Indiana county.
In Henry County, he was formally charged Friday with theft and possession of marijuana. A bench trial was set for Dec. 4.
Police say he’s the same guy apprehended in mid-September on preliminary charges of auto theft and theft from over 30 vehicles in Greenfield and formally charged in August with auto theft and more in Whitestown.
Security footage from Knightstown professional services business CFH Enterprises shows what police believe to be Mays and two others on Warrick Street getting into unlocked cars.
“They opened it up and just started throwing stuff out,” CFH Enterprise’s Adam Litten said. “All they took was change. Then the other one was walking down the street just checking doors the whole time. And then we checked the other camera and they went through an apartment parking lot checking doors.”
Knightstown Police Chief Christopher Newkirk said many of the cars were just rummaged through without much stolen.
“They just didn’t take anything from the cars they were in,” Newkirk said. “There are reports of multiple that were ransacked, just looked really like they were looking for keys. They were going to steal more cars.”
Mays is believed to be connected to four cars stolen from Greenfield during a string of 32 thefts earlier this month. Online court records do not show a case yet filed against Mays in Hancock County.
Mays was found in a stolen car when he was arrested in Whiteland in July. In Johnson County, he was formally charged Aug. 15 with auto theft, resisting law enforcement, conversion and unauthorized entry of a vehicle. A jury trial is set for Nov. 19.
Mays was arrested in Henry County when he and his friends didn’t stop at an intersection. Police saw marijuana, searched the car and found a woman’s wallet with her license. When they called the woman, she confirmed the wallet was taken from her car.
“I’m glad that we got a stop before they could do any more than one vehicle and kind of go through a few,” Newkirk said. “It doesn’t always work out that way, but definitely glad that we didn’t wake up in the morning with a bunch of calls coming in.”
Police said the lesson is to lock cars and especially don’t leave your keys in vehicles.
“It’s a good thing we have security cameras to make sure we are safe,” Litten said. “And the police officers did arrest him, and we did have three officers on duty that night, the chief said, so they did pick a wrong night to do that!”
