Bartlesville Radio: The area’s best source for news, weather and sports!

A handful of car burglaries have been cleared up as the Bartlesville Police Department arrested a suspect they had been looking to catch for a couple of weeks.

According to Sergeant Daniel Elkins, Taylor Watt was arrested at approximately 3:35 Friday morning. He said the BPD's Patrol Division worked in unison with the Criminal Investigation Division. Once the Patrol Division called the Criminal Investigation Division, investigators came out and conducted an interview with the suspect before arresting him.

Fortune was found by the Bartlesville Police Department as they were able to share video surveillance from a home where the owner's car had been burglarized. It is believed that Watt was seen stealing a compound bow from the vehicle in the video that was released by the BPD on Feb. 18th.

Watt appeared at the Washington County Courthouse on Friday afternoon. He is facing a 2nd degree burglary charge. Bond for Watt was set at $5,000 and he is to have no contact with the victim. Watt will appear in court on Friday, March 13th, at 9:00 a.m.

The eastside of Bartlesville has been experiencing an influx of car burglaries. Sgt. Elkins said they crimes are focused in two neighborhoods that are in close proximity of one another. He said from past experience, the BPD could tell that people were either working together to burglarize the cars or it’s the same suspect.

Sgt. Elkins said there are still a few more car burglaries the BPD is not quite able to clear at this time. He said they are putting work into those cases, however, as they try to connect the evidence in those incidents.

Because of the increase in car burglaries, Sgt. Elkins said they had to put extra man hours into finding the source behind the incidents. He said video surveillance from several homes showed the same suspect getting into cars. With the one video the BPD released, Sgt. Elkins said they got plenty of feedback that led to Friday morning's arrest of Watt.

When you experience a car burglary, Sgt. Elkins said you should call the BPD and make a report regardless of how petty the crime might seem at the moment. He said if you let the police know, they can figure out where the problem areas are so they can combat the issue of car burglary.

There are also ways in which you can prevent your vehicle from being burglarized. Sgt. Elkins said locking car doors at night would greatly reduce this issue in Bartlesville. He said the BPD rarely has any issues with people forcing their ways into vehicles.

Good lighting is important as well. Sgt. Elkins said a good surveillance system wouldn't hurt either if you can afford one. He said IP Cameras can be hooked up to your devices so you can check on your property no matter where you are. These wireless cameras provide high quality video that really helps investigators should you become a victim of burglary.