HUNTSVILLE – Two suspects have been arrested for a string of car burglaries, including some in Madison and Huntsville. The U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested 23-year-old Ro’daryus Mitchell and 18-year-old Jae’ Vontea on Tuesday, Dec. 8.

Ro’daryus is being charged with 10 counts of Unlawful Breaking and Entering to a vehicle and Jae’ Vontea is being charged with five counts of unlawful B&Es to a vehicle. Both men are from Birmingham and were arrested in Tuscaloosa.

According to a statement from the Huntsville Police Department, during the nights of Sept. 27 and Oct. 3 there were 72 Unlawful Breaking and Entering’s to vehicles at hotels throughout Huntsville. “The North Alabama Multi-Agency Crime Center (NAMACC) sent a statewide alert requesting any information from other law enforcement agencies in Alabama who may have had similar car burglaries.  That inquiry from NAMACC with our state law enforcement partners yielded more burglaries that previously occurred in Cullman, Madison and Oxford Alabama.”

The Huntsville Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division began an ongoing dialogue with these agencies in an effort to identify the offenders. Through this coordinated effort, investigators were able to identify the offenders, conduct search warrants and recover property that was taken during the crimes. Some of the property recovered included firearms.

Both offenders will be extradited to Huntsville upon release in Tuscaloosa. The investigation is still ongoing and more charges could result.

“This is once again not only a product of state wide collaborative law enforcement efforts, but also another message about leaving firearms in vehicles,” Lieutenant Jesse Sumlin with the Huntsville Police Department said. “Removing firearms from locked or even unlocked unattended vehicles is critical to helping law enforcement prevent the secondary crimes committed using those stolen firearms.”