LPD makes pair of burglary arrests

By Eloria Newell James, community@laurelleadercall.com

July 06, 2009 11:16 am

— The Laurel Police Department has made two recent burglary arrests that officials believe could lead to more.
Sgt. Michael Reaves said through separate investigations, the Police Department has been able to make arrests in two burglary cases.
Arrested are Stewart Moffett, 21, of Laurel and Orlando Trotter, 34, of Laurel.
Moffett has been charged with auto burglary.
Trotter has been charged with burglary.
Reaves said Trotter’s arrest was the result of citizen tips that aided investigators of the Laurel Police Department in the recovery of several stolen air conditioners.
“We definitely appreciate the public for their help,” Reaves said. “The citizens are an instrumental part of helping us keep crime down.”
Reaves said Moffett’s arrest is a direct result of an AFIS Tracker hit from a print lifted from the scene of the crime.
The Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) is the recently acquired fingerprinting technology that the police department implemented in 2008.
Officials said the new system has been instrumental in the fight against crime.
With the new system, officials are able to take fingerprints and use a personal computer and automatically search and compare fingerprints for possible suspects.
Prior to the city getting the new $35,000 system, the process was not that easy.
In the past, when investigators lifted prints from a crime scene, they had to transport the prints to the crime labs in Meridian or Jackson in hopes of the state crime lab finding a suspect.
Under the new system, when an officer gets a fingerprint, the officer can bring it back to the police department and run it through the new system.
Also with the system, officers are able to process palm prints and go online with and search other agencies’ databases.
Reaves said although Moffett and Trotter have only been charged with one count of burglary each, more charges are possible.
“We are still investigating these cases,” he said. “We believe these arrests may lead to other cases.”