Hornersville community on edge after car break-ins, store burglary linked to same suspects

HORNERSVILLE, Mo. (AP) — A small community is grappling with a recent crime wave after several vehicles were allegedly tampered with, and a local grocery store was burglarized. Authorities say surveillance video from the store is proving critical in helping to solve the case.

Elisa Johnson, a Hornersville resident, said she feels a deep sense of violation after learning that her husband’s truck had been broken into early Wednesday morning. She described how her husband discovered his backpack missing after leaving for work.

“I feel violated,” Johnson said. “It just kind of snatches your sense of security in your own home.”

Johnson added that her daughter, a nurse, was frightened to even step outside after realizing what had happened.

The Johnson family was not alone. The Faulkner’s Grocery Store in nearby Arbyrd, Missouri, was also targeted. The store’s front door was shattered, and several items were stolen, leaving the owner devastated.

“For whoever owns the grocery store, that’s obviously their livelihood. To mess with that is just wrong,” Johnson said.

Dunklin County sheriff’s deputies and Hornersville police quickly launched an investigation after receiving reports of vehicle break-ins.

“We got called to assist in the burglary of Faulkner’s Grocery, and while I was there, I received phone calls from people here in Hornersville reporting their vehicles had been broken into,” said Sabrina Kellums, Hornersville’s chief of police.

Kellums believes the same suspects responsible for the store burglary are linked to the vehicle break-ins in Hornersville.

“The grocery store had pretty good video footage, and during our investigation, talking with the suspects, they admitted to being involved in the vehicle break-ins in Hornersville,” Kellums explained.

Johnson expressed gratitude for the swift response from law enforcement but emphasized the challenges facing small towns.

“We need more help. We don’t have enough police officers to go around in small towns like us,” she said. “We’re suffering.”

Hornersville police are urging anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a similar crime to come forward.