Vicksburg suspects charged in county car burglaries

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Three men jailed since Saturday for seven auto burglaries in the city were charged Tuesday with an additional five auto burglaries in the county, and two juvenile suspects could be charged, Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said.

The new charges against Colton Branning, 18, 118 Robert E. Lee Blvd., Jason Henke, 18, 8383 Oak Ridge Road and Zachery Kiser 19, 8383 Oak Ridge Road, came on the same day the three made their initial court appearances in the city and the county.

In the city, Municipal Judge Allen Derivaux set bond at $35,000 for each of the three; and, in the county, Justice Court Judge Richard Bradford set bond at $7,500 each for Henke and Kiser. Branning was ordered held for the Department of Corrections because his arrest was a violation of his parole on an earlier conviction.

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In both jurisdictions, each was charged with auto burglary. In addition, Branning was charged in the county with receiving stolen property and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

Branning had been jailed from the fall until June 5 on a conviction of felony malicious mischief and later was convicted of assaulting a guard.

The sheriff’s department recovered a .357 Magnum revolver from Branning and stolen property including an “assortment of portable electronic items or devices,” said Warren County Investigator Sam Winchester.

The five county auto burglaries were reported during the weekend on  Madison Ridge, Forest Oak and Amberleaf drives, said Winchester.

Because of laws involving juveniles, Pace said he could not give a disposition of the cases of the two juveniles arrested in the city auto burglaries. They were turned over to Youth Court authorities and were to have appeared before Warren County Youth Court Judge Johnny Price Tuesday.

“We’re still calculating the burglaries. They (the two juveniles) will be charged with at least five of the same ones the adults are. We can’t comment on what the youth court is going to determine,” said Pace this morning.

The three adults and two juveniles had been arrested early Saturday and linked to auto burglaries on Porters Chapel Road and Belle Meade and Highland subdivisions.