Rossville man arrested in connection with East Ridge car break-ins

Friday, October 7, 2011

A 21-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a series of car break-ins in East Ridge, police said.

Jonathan E. Smith, of Rossville, Ga., was arrested early this morning and charged with four counts of burglary of an auto and two counts of theft, said East Ridge police spokesman Erik Hopkins.

About 4:20 a.m. today, police patrolling in the Blocker Lane area of East Ridge noticed a suspicious man walking on the street and carrying a pair of shoes, Hopkins said. As officers approached the man, he threw the shoes.

Blocker Lane is adjacent to the Mission Oaks neighborhood, which suffered a rash of car break-ins during August.

While officers were talking to the man, residents began to approach, saying their cars had been broken into, Hopkins said. Investigation showed that four vehicles had been burglarized in the area.

The shoes were from a truck on Blocker Lane, Hopkins said, while a knife found inside the shoes was from a truck on Edwards Terrace. Police returned the property their owners.

Smith is scheduled to appear in East Ridge Municipal Court on Tuesday at 5 p.m., Hopkins said.