The sign at the entrance of Knollwood Farms is pictured Monday.
6:05 pm. update
One adult and four juveniles from Indianapolis were arrested following a series of car break-ins that occurred early Monday morning in the Knollwood Farms subdivision.
Franklin police say the break-ins were reported at around 4 a.m. Monday when someone reported they saw two juvenile males with backpacks who were breaking into cars in the neighborhood. At the scene, police first found one juvenile male and caught him after a foot pursuit. Police also found two juvenile females in a car who appeared to be associated with the break-ins, said Kirby Cochran, Franklin police chief.
Additional reports of juvenile males breaking into cars were made and police set up a perimeter to search for the remaining suspects, Cochran said.
Whiteland police and Indiana State Police helped Franklin officers search on the ground and with drones in the neighborhood and cornfields that surround it. K-9s were also deployed, Cochran said.
The search caused an initial delay for school bus pick-up in the neighborhood as police were working at the scene for several hours, according to posts from Franklin Community Schools and Clark-Pleasant Community Schools.
Orlando Rafael Chinchilla-Rivas, 21, of Indianapolis, as well as a 15-year-old male, a 14-year-old male and two 17-year-old females were taken into custody following the incident, Cochran said.
Chinchilla-Rivas was booked on charges of possession of stolen property and false informing, which are a felony and misdemeanor, respectively. He is also being held in lieu of bond on a warrant from Marion County, Johnson County jail records indicate.
Franklin police received a report that Chinchilla-Rivas pointed a gun at a man in the neighborhood at some point during the incident, but shots were not fired and no injuries were reported, Cochran said.
It was originally thought that one juvenile male was bit by a K-9 during the pursuit. However, a medical check determined the wound was a scape, not a dog bite, Cochran said.
Police are still processing theft reports, footage from doorbell cameras and evidence they picked up from backpacks and the car to determine what charges to formally recommend to the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office. Over the course of the day by about 4 p.m., Franklin police had received 30 reports from the neighborhood regarding stolen property or that their car had been rummaged through, Cochran said.
Police have not yet recovered the gun used in the incident but have found a lot of miscellaneous items including money, IDs and medications, Cochran said.
Anyone who finds the gun is asked to not touch the weapon and to call the non-emergency dispatch number at 317-736-6336. A witness identified the gun as an unknown brand dark-colored 9 mm handgun. A magazine for a different gun, a 40-caliber handgun, was also found in the neighborhood, but not the gun that it works with, Cochran said.
People who have home security camera footage of the incidents are asked to send it to Franklin police via email to [email protected].
The footage received so far shows that the group jiggled handles and entered cars that were left unlocked, but moved on when they found a locked vehicle. Cochran advised residents to lock their car and take valuables inside or store them out of plain view.
People on social media were saying Monday that locking a car overnight is asking to have a window broken. Cochran warned against that way of thinking about incidents like these.
“That’s typically not what happens. People who are car-hopping are not wanting to cause a disturbance,” Cochran said. “They might (break-in) if there is something in plain view, but it is not likely.”
The investigation is ongoing and more information will be shared when it is available.
Original story
One adult and four juveniles from Indianapolis are suspects in car break-ins that occurred early this morning in the Knollwood Farms subdivision.
Franklin police say the break-ins were reported at around 4 a.m., when someone reported they saw two juvenile males with backpacks who were breaking into cars in the neighborhood. At the scene police first found one juvenile male and caught him after a foot pursuit, said Kirby Cochran, Franklin police chief.
A short time later, police found two juvenile females in a car who appeared to be associated with the break-ins, Cochran said.
Additional reports of juvenile males breaking into cars were made and police set up a perimeter to search for the remaining suspects, Cochran said.
Whiteland police and Indiana State Police helped Franklin officers search on the ground and with drones in the neighborhood and cornfields that surround it. K-9s were also deployed and possibly bit one of the suspects to apprehend him, Cochran said.
The search caused an initial delay for school bus pick-up in the neighborhood as police were working at the scene for several hours, according to posts from Franklin Community Schools.
A 21-year-old male, a 15-year-old male, a 14-year-old male and two 17-year-old females were taken into custody for the incident, Cochran said.
Police are still processing theft reports, footage from doorbell cameras and evidence they picked up from backpacks and the car to determine what charges to recommend to the prosecutor’s office, Cochran said.
Police have not yet recovered a gun that was reported stolen but have found a lot of miscellaneous items including money, IDs and medications, Cochran said.
People who have home security camera footage of the incidents are asked to send it to Franklin police via email to [email protected].
The investigation is ongoing and more information will be shared when it is available.
