A Roanoke Rapids teen already out on bond for a previous spree of car breaking and enterings was jailed on $100,000 bond Monday after arrested on similar charges.

Investigator Bobby Martin of the Roanoke Rapids Police Department charged 17-year-old Steven Nicholas Wright with five counts of breaking and entering motor vehilces; five counts of larceny from motor vehicles and two counts of possessing a stolen firearm.

He was assigned a January 21 court date.

Chief Chuck Hasty said Martin developed Wright as an alleged suspect in the case after Sergeant Terrance Tyler and Officer Jonathan Benthall made contact around 1 a.m. with a person later indentified as Wright and a 15-year-old juvenile walking in a residential area.

Due to the recent spate of break-ins, the officers spoke with the boys and reportedly recovered property from previous break-ins.

Martin said Wright, who has numerous court dates pending in January and February on previous charges, has been out of jail some six to eight months

“Roanoke Rapids is plagued with motor vehicle break-ins,” Martin said this afternoon. “We as citizens make it easy. They will grab a door handle. If it is unlocked they open it. If it is locked they will most times go on to the next.”

Martin said Wright reportedly noted in an interview it is harder to find open cars now. “He actually made the statement that folks actually adhered to warnings.”

Charges against the juvenile are pending and the investigation continues, Hasty said.

Sergeant Jamie Hardy and Investigator Jeff Davis assisted in the probe, the chief said.

“These cases were able to be broken by the diligent work of Sergeant Terrance Tyler and Officer Jonathan Benthall,” Martin said in the statement.

Said Hasty in the statement: “Sergeant Tyler and Officer Benthall did fantastic police work by getting out with the subjects in the early morning hours to try to identify these subjects and to be proactive in trying to prevent and solve crimes in our city.”