Neighborhood video footage helps link a shoplifter to a handgun stolen from a residence last week.
Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester tells KSAL News that 25-year-old Jermaine Cooper was arrested on Friday after Cooper allegedly used a stolen debit card to purchase $30 worth of items at the 24/7 Travel Store on Westport Blvd.
The card was reported missing along with video gaming gear after a burglary in a home in the 700 block of Comanche Ave. The handgun was reportedly stolen last week in a daytime residential burglary on West Republic.
Video from 24/7 and footage from the 800 block of W. Republic matched when investigators compared the images. Police had been searching for who had stolen a 9mm Smith and Wesson, ammo and a lock box from that location.
Cooper was picked up for questioning and then taken into custody. He’s also accused of shoplifting $34 worth of cigarettes from the Shell filling station, 1717 W. Crawford on February 7th
He’s now facing charges that could include burglary, theft of a firearm and criminal use of a financial card.