Woman says JPD refused to take evidence that identifies North Jackson car thieves

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - A woman said the Jackson Police Department likely could have prevented a string of auto burglaries in Northeast Jackson had officers retrieved the evidence left in her car.

Kelly Gilbert, a Waterford Place resident, said her two cars were stolen in the early morning hours of March 24.

When one of her cars, a Lexus RX350, was recovered, she said police had not dusted for prints or taken out the items that were found inside it.

Items included school clothes, a school backpack, a person’s rental agreement, and an auto burglary report from Jacksonville.

Gilbert said she told the police about the items, but they were not interested.

“I was giving them evidence, and nobody wants it,” she said. “It’s crazy.”

JPD spokesman Sam Brown asked for Gilbert’s information and said someone from the department would contact her.

Minutes after we contacted Brown, Gilbert said the Precinct Four commander had called her and would send someone out to collect the items.

The incident occurred around 3:30 a.m.

Video from Gilbert’s home shows four individuals dressed in hoodies walk into her driveway, got into the cars, and drove away.

The vehicles were left unlocked, and Gilbert said she had left her keys in them that night.

“I live in a gated community, we never have any trouble,” she said.

On that night, though, several homeowners were victimized. “My neighbor’s car tag was bent up, and my neighbor next to him had his truck broken into,” she said.

Gilbert’s white Lexus SUV was later recovered in Fondren on Doulgass Drive. She said it was not taken in for fingerprints before it was returned. Her Cadillac, which previously belonged to her godfather, is still missing.

“Somebody’s enjoying it,” she said.

Meanwhile, Northeast Jackson continues to be plagued by auto burglaries and auto thefts.

In late April, the police reported three auto break-ins at the Barrington, a gated condominium at the corner of Meadowbrook Road and Frontage Road.

Auto burglaries were reported on Douglass Drive on May 10. JPD released a video saying they needed the public’s help in apprehending the suspect or suspects involved.

Jackson Jambalaya also reported auto burglaries in the Meadowbrook Highlands last week.

Like in Gilbert’s case, four men entered the gated community, ransacking the neighborhood.

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