Police arrest three men in car thefts

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Three men suspected in numerous vehicle thefts are facing charges.  John Sampson, Vincent Cole, and Decarlos Jennings were arrested Wednesday morning.

Mobile Police were called to the 2400 block of Idonia Avenue just after 5 a.m. Wednesday about suspicious subjects in the backyard of a vacant residence.

The neighbor who called police wants to remain anonymous. She told Fox10 she was startled by a noise just before sun up.  

“I was lying down and all I heard was a truck in my yard. It was kind of weird because the truck was overpowering my air conditioner and I thought well that’s kind of strange you know to have something in front of my house this early in the morning,” the neighbor said.

She told Fox10 she called police and tried to stay hidden from a man she saw lurking around the yard at the vacant house next door.  

“I waited a couple minutes and I finally decided to go outside and saw the truck in the front yard,” the neighbor said. “I didn’t want to make myself visible because that would have been dangerous you know, I don’t know the type of guys these people were. ”  

When police arrived, a primer grey 1980 Chevy C10 Rio Pickup left Idonia and a short vehicle pursuit ensued. The chase ended on Oakmont Court, and John Sampson was taken into custody.

Police learned the pickup was reported stolen and contained large amounts of auto stereo equipment. The equipment was later linked to numerous vehicle burglaries that occurred overnight in West Mobile.

Through the investigation, two other stolen vehicles were recovered, and two more suspects were identified. Those men were Vincent Cole and Decarlos Jennings.

Sampson is charged with twelve counts of breaking and entering a vehicle and theft of property first degree.

Cole is charged with three counts of breaking and entering a vehicle and theft of property first degree.

Jennings is charged with seven counts of burglary third degree, theft of property first degree and receiving stolen property first degree.

Most of the property was returned to the owners.

“Each of those pieces of equipment belong to someone whose car had been broken into and had reported that break in,” Mobile PD spokesperson Ashley Rains said.  

Rains said it’s a good reminder to lock your car and remove valuables from your vehicle.

“People have things in their vehicles that criminals want. It could be anything from a laptop to a purse, to a pack of cigarettes, to a backpack,” Rains said. “Criminals will smash a window to get into that car even if they don’t know what that backpack contains so the public really needs to be aware there are people looking in your vehicle to see if there is anything they want.”