Goshen burglary suspects arrested
Published 10:56 pm Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Pike County deputies have made multiple arrests that they said should help put a stop to a string of burglaries in the Goshen area over the last month.
Michael Deshaun Stirkens, 36, of Goshen, has been charged with receiving stolen property as well as violation of a release order in connection with multiple burglaries in the area.
Sheriff Russell Thomas said multiple guns were stolen in one of the burlgaries, which occurred on Jan. 31 on County Road 1171 off of U.S. Highway 29 near Tonya’s Grocery.
“A Browning .300 Winchester Magnum with scope, a Browning 12-gauge shotgun, and a Ruger model M77 Mark II .308 with scope valued at $3,500 were stolen,” Thomas said. “We recovered the first two of those guns, one in Montgomery and the other locally.”
That wasn’t the only stolen property deputies have linked back to Stirkens. Thomas said deputies recovered another gun stolen on Feb. 4 from a residence on County Road 2203.
“A 12 gauge shotgun Maverick, an Xbox with controllers and a 40-inch Emerson TV were taken, valued at $750,” Thomas said.
Thomas said the charges could possibly be upgraded to burglary.
In addition to those two burglaries, Thomas said he believes Stirkens may be involved in other burglaries in the same area.
A theft of a toolbox and assorted tools, a set of limb shears and a 5-gallon gas can were reported stolen in the same area in the same area on Feb. 1 at a value of $225, and everything except for the gas can has been recovered.
Another burglary occurred on Jan. 27 on County Road 2204, in which a 40-inch Tv was taken. On Feb. 2, two 40-inch TVs and a 15-inch TV were stolen from a residence on County Road 1170 off U.S. Highway 29 and on Dec. 23, 2019, there was an attempted burglary on County Road 1172.
“We have gotten information that he is linked to these cases and we feel confident we should be able to clear these cases soon,” Thomas said. “We feel like he is involved. We’ve known him for years and by being able to arrest him and hold him on these charges, it’s going to make a substantial difference in the crimes we’ve been experiencing with burglaries and thefts. I’m confident of that.”
Stirkens is being held in the Pike County Jail without bond to the violation of his release order.
Tuesday, deputies also responded to a burglary on County Road 2214 outside of Goshen and arrested Calvin Trarell Jones, 29, of Montgomery, and James Kelvin Givens, 20, both charged with third-degree burglary.
Thomas said the two suspects burglarized a trailer at approximately 11 a.m., stealing an air compressor form the residence, and then came back at approximately 4 p.m., stacking items on the porch before ultimately leaving empty-handed.