Two Local Men Arrested on Vehicle Burglary Charges

Two local men have been arrested on vehicle burglary charges.

The men arrested are 47-year-old Richard A. Griffin and 32-year-old Michael L. Brown, both of Effingham. Griffin and Brown were taken into custody shortly after 6pm Monday. Griffin was charged with two counts each of burglary and theft, Class 3 and Class 4 felonies. Brown was arrested on a charge of possession of stolen property, a Class 4 felony.

Two burglaries to motor vehicles while the vehicles were parked in the 1900 block of South Banker were reported Monday morning to city police. Responding officers discovered a van that had been burglarized overnight. DJ equipment and CDs valued at $4,535 were stolen. The other vehicle was a work truck. Officers learned multiple power tools valued at more than $1,400 were taken from the vehicle over the weekend.

On Monday afternoon, police learned that a local church had purchased DJ equipment they believed to be stolen. Officers determined that this was the same equipment that had been reported stolen that morning. After conducting interviews, two suspects were identified. It was also learned that a van owned by the church had been used by one of the suspects for storage. The stolen power tools were located upon inspection of the van.

City Police Chief Jeff Fuesting said he is encouraged to see more citizens becoming involved with reporting suspicious activity, which he says led to the swift arrests by officers. He said, 'We will not tolerate criminal activity, and will continue to act swiftly and tirelessly to follow leads and make arrests so that the citizens of Effingham can enjoy a safe environment to live, work and raise their children."