Residents in Little Rock's Hillcrest neighborhood create website devoted to burglar's arrest

FILE — A Little Rock Police Department vehicle is shown in this file photo.
FILE — A Little Rock Police Department vehicle is shown in this file photo.

A string of burglaries in and around Little Rock's Hillcrest neighborhood has led some residents to create a public awareness campaign in hopes of catching the perpetrator.

HillcrestBurglar.com, a website devoted to several crimes that residents believe are connected, was created after break-ins in the area, and it offers videos and photos from residents’ security cameras as well as a timeline.

The site’s creators declined to comment, but a section of the website states that the pair were victims of a home break-in where a man stole a cellphone.

“Not only did he take a cell phone, he took a pretty basic feeling of safety in our own space from us,” the site states. “Quite frankly, we’re just really mad about this and won’t drop it until this guy has been caught.”

Little Rock police officer Eric Barnes said investigators believe many of the burglaries were carried out by the same person.

Barnes said they're confident one man is tied to two crimes, a Jan. 15 home break-in on Midland Street, where a cell phone was stolen, and a theft at Markham Street Liquor Store in November.

The male was seen on security footage. Police also have an image of a pickup believed to be connected to the crimes.

In the Jan. 15 break-in, a medium-built black male with short hair walked into the home around 4:30 a.m., according to a police report. He was wearing a black Beatles sweatshirt, ripped jeans and a red or orange bandana around his face.

The residents noticed an iPhone 8+ was missing, and officers found a phone case that belonged to the family on a car trunk down the street.

Police were not able lift fingerprints from the case, according to the report. Investigators believe the intruder was wearing gloves.

In the liquor store break-in, a man of a similar physical description went into the store, at 4204 West Markham St., and walked out with several bottles of liquor without paying, according to a report.

Barnes said police are still working to identify the man seen in the photos and videos. He said police are also aware of the website and think it’s good to get information out to people in the area.

He said it’s possible the website could even deter crime.

“It’s a good tool to limit or stop the offenses going on in the neighborhood,” Barnes said.

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