On Monday, November 18, 2019, at around 6 am, multiple reports started coming in where victims had items stolen from their vehicles. By the end of the day the Oxford Police Department had taken 14 auto burglary and 1 home burglary reports.
Investigators began working tips and leads and stayed out throughout the night. Eventually, they gained enough evidence to get a search warrant on a residence in Garden Terrace. The search warrant lead to the discovery of most of the stolen items, items reported stolen dating back to 2017, and narcotics.
Two individuals, identified as Justin Towler (24 of Oxford, Mississippi) and Kimberly Adams (28 of Oxford) were found inside the residence and taken into custody without incident and then transported them to the Lafayette County Detention Center. Officers apprehended a second suspect, Chester Gipson (23 of Abbeville, MS), later that afternoon.
OPD charged Towler with 14 counts of auto burglary, 1 count of residential burglary, 1 count of possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, 1 count of possession of stolen property, and the Lafayette County Metro Narcotics Unit charged him with 2 counts possession of a controlled substance. Towler was given a bond of $150,000.
OPD charged Gipson with 14 counts of auto burglary, 1 count of residential burglary, and 1 count of possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. He was given a bond of $100,000.
Metro Narcotics charged Adams with 2 counts of possession of a controlled substance and OPD charged her with 1 count of possession of stolen property. She was given a bond of $50,000.
Interim Chief Jeff McCutchen would like to thank everyone that assisted with this investigation by providing video or information.
“We would like to remind everyone that the holiday season is approaching fast and to take this time to remember to lock your doors and remove valuables from sight. Remember, if you see something, say something. We will respond no matter what.”
