Castroville Police Chief Kohler announced the successful resolution of a recent church burglary and Walmart theft thanks to the efforts of Officer Sammy Thomas and Sgt. Detective Knutson.

Approximately ten days ago, Officer Thomas stopped and identified a suspicious person during his night shift. While collecting personal information, the individual was unable to recall his own cell phone number. Officer Thomas assisted him in retrieving the number and recorded it in his field notes.

The following day, a local church reported a burglary in which the only item stolen was a cell phone. The stolen phone’s number matched the number provided by the suspicious individual during Officer Thomas’ earlier stop.

Detectives located the suspect, who provided a full confession to the church burglary. Further investigation revealed that the same individual was also responsible for a prior theft at Walmart, previously identified only by surveillance photographs. The suspect also confessed to that crime.

Chief Kohler praised the work of Officer Thomas and Sgt. Detective Knutson for their diligent efforts in solving both cases.