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CHRISTIAN COUNTY

Guns, ammo, uniforms stolen from Sparta police station, sheriff says

Giacomo Bologna
GBOLOGNA@NEWS-LEADER.COM
Sparta's police department is located next to Sparta City Hall. It's the tan building in the background of this photograph.

A man pushed an air-conditioning unit out from a window of the Sparta police station to climb inside and steal two AR-15s early Friday morning, said Christian County Sheriff Brad Cole.

The break-in was captured by a surveillance camera about 4:30 a.m., Cole said. The man also took police uniforms, ammunition and possibly a shotgun, he said.

Sparta Mayor Mike Younker declined to comment much, saying it was an ongoing investigation by the sheriff's department.

"I am disappointed that our police department got broke into and they will be caught soon," Younker said.

Diala Brown, a Sparta resident running for alderman in the April 5 election, called the break-in unacceptable.

"We're paying taxes in Sparta to maintain a police force ... city council needs to be held accountable," Brown said. "Those are weapons on the street that can be used against anyone."

Younker was not immediately available to respond to Brown's comments, which were made Friday evening.

The city of Sparta has been without a police force since December, when the police chief resigned. Andrew Spencer stepped down amid public criticism after he shot a caged dog.

The other two officers in Sparta left for jobs elsewhere around that time. Since then, sheriff's deputies have been patrolling Sparta.

City leaders told the News-Leader in January that the city is looking to hire a chief and an additional officer or two, saying that Sparta needs its own police force.

Last month, the city was presented with a contract from the sheriff's department about patrolling Sparta throughout 2016. The proposed contract had Sparta paying $168,000 and providing two vehicles for law enforcement services in 2016, which Younker said at that time was too expensive.

While Brown said she's appreciative of the city's efforts to contract with the sheriff's department, it's time to come to terms and make a decision — especially in light of the break-in.

"What's next, our homes?" Brown said.

In addition to Sparta, the sheriff's department already patrols some of the county’s smaller communities.

“We’re treating Sparta like we would Chadwick or Bruner,” said Lt. Jeff Lofton in January. “It’s not like something new for us to do.”

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