28-year-old Andrew Johnson of Winfield has been arrested in connection with a Winfield Police investigation into a string of recent burglaries.
So far, Johnson is facing a charge of burglary to a vehicle, possession of marijuana and multiple counts of possession of stolen property. He was booked into the Cowley County Jail in Winfield Wednesday with bond set at $11,000.
An investigation is ongoing.
These burglaries occurred on Nov. 9 in neighborhoods near Southwestern College. Most of the cases involved property taken from unlocked vehicles, however, two garages were also burglarized. Police have recovered property in 12 of 19 reported burglaries, according to Gary Bortz with the Winfield Police Dept.
“There was no need to break and enter,” Bortz said. “It’s an important reminder to always lock your vehicle.”
Bortz said a break in the case came when investigators discovered a guitar taken in one of the burglaries. On Wednesday, police searched three residences as part of this investigation, one in the 300 block of N. Massachusetts, where a friend of Johnson’s lived, Johnson’s parents’ home and a trailer Johnson was living in, both in the 300 block of Soward in Winfield.
Johnson is said to have taken many electronic items, including GPS devices like Garmins and TomToms.
Police are still attempting to recover $3,500 in Ryobi-brand power tools and $12,000 in oil field testing equipment in a silver case. These items were reported stolen in the areas of the breakins. Johnson is a convicted felon, according to Kansas corrections records online.
Much of the found property has been returned to its rightful owners.
