On Wednesday October 16th, the Curry County Sheriff’s Office received a call from Ron Timmsen reporting that someone had just broke into his house on Huckleberry Ridge Road off Whaleshead north of Brookings. Timmsen was calling from outside the area but could see two suspects on his security system. Teamwork between Brookings Dispatch, the Curry County Sheriff Dispatch, Timmsen and responding Sheriff Deputies led to two arrests after a forcible home burglary.
Deputies were notified of the burglary right away when the homeowner was alerted by notification of the intrusion from his video surveillance system. Two suspects had already left the area by the time deputies arrived but heavy rain and wind were no deterrent for the K-9 and handler team that quickly narrowed the search down to one home in the neighborhood.
One suspect was detained right away and the other was found hiding during a search of the home. After the Curry County Sheriff K-9’s trailed the suspects from the scene of the of the burglary to their home, both suspects were identified from the video surveillance footage and cooperated with investigators once they realized their actions had been captured on video.
Clarence Jackson Jr., a fifty-two year old male, from Brookings was booked into the Curry County Jail on charges of Burglary 1 and Theft 3; and Sebrina Gundlach, a fifty-eight year old female was charged with Criminal Trespass 1.
Neighbors looking out for one another and the more prevalent use of video surveillance technology have made a significant impact in our ability to respond to crimes while they are still in progress and close cases more efficiently. This case is a model example of the desired relationship between our community, the proven performance of K-9 partners and good old fashioned police work.
