Suspect arrested in rash of thefts, burglaries in Little Rock

8 November crimes reported

Tevin D. Lowe
Tevin D. Lowe

A burglar broke into at least eight Little Rock businesses over nine days in late November, took two vehicles and caused at least $65,000 in damage and stolen property, according to police reports.

Tevin D. Lowe, 26, of Little Rock was arrested Nov. 29 on 10 charges of commercial burglary, four charges of theft of property, two charges of criminal mischief, theft by receiving, criminal attempted theft and a charge of breaking and entering, according to an arrest report. Lowe was in the Pulaski County jail in lieu of a $25,000 bond as of Thursday evening.

The items taken vary from a Ford F-250 stolen Nov. 23 from Little Rock Winnelson Co. to a charger for cordless power tools, police said.

Though connected to two car burglaries in April, the bulk of Lowe's charges come from break-ins and thefts committed in nine days in late November. According to reports, the burglar often used stolen vehicles, wore black gloves and hooded jackets to avoid identification, and broke into buildings in almost the same way.

On Nov. 21, $7,300 in power tools were taken from Turner Custom Millwork at 1020 E. Sixth St., including three saws, an air compressor, a welder, standing lights and chargers for cordless batteries, a police report said. The building's tin and wooden double doors were pried open, but no video cameras captured images of the perpetrator, the report said. Officers said sawdust covering the inside of the building prevented them from taking fingerprints.

A white Ford F-250 was stolen Nov. 23 from the parking lot of the Winnelson company on Byrd Street. Officers found the pickup two days later near 500 Broadway, where an Arvest Bank teller had reported that someone was looking into an ATM without using the machine, a report said. Video surveillance from the bank showed a man who police believe to be Lowe staring at the machine and then running away, leaving the truck behind, after the bank employee pulled in the drive.

In back-to-back incidents about 6 p.m. Nov. 27, police say a man broke into Goodyear and Firestone Auto Care stores that are blocks apart. Officers said some wrenches on top of a toolbox were taken and a door was damaged at Goodyear. Police noted that a window had been broken out and a single tire had been knocked over at the Firestone store, but that nothing was missing.

Fleet Management Services on East Eighth Street was burglarized the next day. A white Jeep was driven through a chain-link fence, according to a report. A glass pane was removed from a garage door and a prying tool was used to dismantle the door's lock, the report said. The keys to the Jeep were found in the vehicle, according to the report.

A T-Mobile store was broken into later that day by shattering a glass door, police said. The store's owners had not turned in a list of stolen items.

After days when only one or two businesses at a time were hit, four burglaries were reported before Lowe's arrest Nov. 29, reports said.

At 12:15 a.m., a cash register with $20 inside was stolen from EJ Eats and Drinks on Center Street. The front window was shattered, a report said.

At 12:49 a.m., a rock was used to smash a glass front door of a Sonic Drive-In on Cantrell Road. After discovering the cash register's money drawer was empty, the burglar threw it out of the drive-thru window, according to a report.

At 1:02 a.m., a person was seen on video pacing back and forth in front of the Alibaba Store on South University Avenue before smashing out the glass front door with a rock, officers said. It was unknown at the time of the report whether anything was taken.

At 3 a.m., a rock was thrown through the front glass door of 7th Street Hair Salon, a report said. A shelf full of pomegranate hair conditioner was knocked over, but the owner told police nothing else was missing.

Lowe was arrested about 9 a.m. Nov. 29 on a warrant regarding the possession of a stolen firearm during a car burglary in April, according to court documents. A warrant for Lowe's arrest said officers did not charge him with theft by receiving in the first arrest because the weapon was not entered in the National Crime Information Center initially.

Lowe's arrest report said investigators had developed him as a suspect in the various crimes and that he was transported to the 12th Street station, where detectives interviewed and charged him in the most recent cases.

Metro on 12/07/2018

Upcoming Events