Suspects caught in Ackerman with help from community
Thursday afternoon, Kentrell Dotson and a female accomplice reportedly took an AR-15-style rifle from the Guns & Roses Pawn Shop in Ackerman.
ACKERMAN, Miss. (WCBI) – On August 1, two people reportedly walked out of a pawn shop in Ackerman with an AR-15.
Shortly afterward, they were caught and the firearm was recovered.
It was a crime that had a quick resolution, but the outcome could have been very different if it hadn’t been for the public’s help.
Thursday afternoon Kentrell Dotson and a female accomplice reportedly took an AR-15-style rifle from the Guns & Roses Pawn Shop in Ackerman.
Manager Doug Atkinson said it happened quickly.
“A guy that helps us out a good bit here was in the store and I asked him if would he watch things until I walked into the back for a moment and just about as soon as I walked toward the back he grabbed the gun and ran out the door,” Atkinson said.
They called the police, who posted the security camera footage on Facebook getting the community involved.
“The officer from Ackerman Police Department who was handling the incident immediately broadcasted to TV stations, and several departments around. There were roadblocks set up immediately, I mean in just a few minutes. They got the pictures out and everything and we had people calling and texting saying ‘What went wrong, we see the pictures.’ I think that is what enabled a quick recovery of both the firearm and the suspects,” Atkinson said.
The suspects were identified within an hour and the gun was recovered.
Ackerman Police Chief Tim Cook said community involvement is crucial in solving many cases.
“We were able to start sending pictures out to various news sources and the internet and with that, some people came forward pretty quick and let us know where we could find those people. A lot of times we wouldn’t be able to get crime solved without the community’s help. That is why we like to if possible go ahead and information to the news as quick as we can to get that out there,” Cook said.
Dotson has been charged with Petit Larceny and Felony Possession of a Stolen Firearm.
The female suspect is a juvenile.
Her case will be handled in youth court.
