Photo by Dan Whisenhunt

A man suspected of entering autos allegedly told a Decatur Police officer that he was recently released from jail after being convicted of entering autos.

Police arrested the man, identified as 50-year-old Steven Jennings of Atlanta, in the early morning hours of March 5. He was arrested in the area of Winnona Park, according to police.

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According to police, on March 5 an officer responded to a call about a suspect entering autos in the 800 block of Derrydown Way. The woman who called told police she saw a light shining through her bedroom window. When she got up to investigate, she noticed the lights on inside her vehicle. She saw a man walking away from the area, but didn’t have her glasses on and couldn’t see the suspect clearly. She alerted her wife, who managed to get a detailed description to give to the officer. They reported “loose change and a few dollars” missing from the vehicle.

Another officer searched the area and found a man matching the suspect’s description on South Columbia at Inman Drive.

“The suspect stated he was coming from the Avondale Marta Station,” the police report says. “He showed paperwork from the DeKalb County Jail and further stated he was just released from jail after serving an 18-month sentence for entering auto and theft by receiving stolen property.”

The wife of the person who called police was able to identify the suspect.

“The suspect was found in possession of two flashlights, a pair of gloves, a large amount of loose change and two different sets of car keys,” the police report says. “One set had the ignition key to a vehicle and the other had the key fob to a Lexus. The suspect stated the ignition key was his and he found the Lexus fob in the street.”

Police found the Lexus that matched the key fob and the owner confirmed that his vehicle had been entered. Both of the entered vehicles were left “unsecured,” the police report says.

Jennings was arrested on charges of entering auto, possession of tools for the commission of a crime and receiving stolen property.

Lt. Jennifer Ross said, “If you are missing a vehicle key or any foreign coins from inside of your vehicle, please contact Lt. Ross at [email protected].”

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