Four Dayton, Ohio, residents face arrest warrants after a string of vehicle break-ins in Villa Hills and Park Hills, with stolen property recovered and returned to its owner thanks to a Villa Hills officer who spotted the suspect vehicle from Ring camera footage.
Park Hills Police Chief Cody Stanley announced the warrants in a Monday, July 20, press release, naming Steven Brown, 26; Akil Abdul-Kareem, 28; Keontae La Cameron Hampton, 20; and Rayquan Lamar Mallory, 26. No arrests have been confirmed.
The break came when a Villa Hills police officer recognized the suspects' vehicle from Ring doorbell footage shared between departments. That recognition led to a traffic stop and the recovery of stolen items, which Park Hills police said have been identified and returned.
"Officer Kevin Burke's proactive police work and the outstanding cooperation between our neighboring departments led to the recovery of stolen property and helped move this investigation forward," Stanley said in the press release.
The warrants follow a string of break-ins that hit Villa Hills in back-to-back weeks in mid-July. Cars were rifled through across Villa Hills, Park Hills, Fort Wright, Fort Thomas, and Boone County. The Villa Hills police chief told WLWT the suspects were crossing state lines to target Northern Kentucky neighborhoods.
Villa Hills resident Jessy Ritchie told WLWT on Thursday, July 16, that she woke up to find her vehicle broken into overnight. "Come out, the door is open, there's stuff everywhere," Ritchie said, describing the scene to her family. In another case during the same wave, a Glock pistol was stolen from a pickup truck, the theft caught on surveillance camera.
Following those incidents, Villa Hills police began working with federal partners and increased nighttime patrols, according to WLWT reporting from July 16.
The vehicle break-ins fit a broader summer pattern across the region. Fort Wright police warned of a car break-in uptick in late May, and 50 cars were broken into in Cincinnati's Mount Adams neighborhood in June, according to WCPO. Suspects in the Northern Kentucky cases were captured on surveillance video approaching vehicles on the passenger side before fleeing in a follow car.
Park Hills police and Villa Hills police are reminding residents to take three steps: lock vehicles, remove valuables from sight, and never leave firearms inside unattended cars. Residents with information can contact the Park Hills Police Department at (859) 431-6252.
What's next
The four suspects have not yet been arrested as of July 22. No court date or arraignment has been announced. Residents who spot suspicious activity overnight are encouraged to call local police immediately.
