Between March 20, 2023 and March 23, 2023 multiple businesses in Lincoln City were broken into. The involved victim businesses, 88 Grains Asian Fusion Bar, Burger King Restaurant, Mazatlan Restaurant, and AT&T Store, reported the burglaries resulted in the theft of cash and merchandise valued in the thousands of dollars. Lincoln City Police Officers and Detectives, along with assistance from a Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Detective, teamed up and began a rigorous investigation into the string of burglaries.
During the investigation, surveillance video from the victim businesses and other nearby business was reviewed. Using the surveillance videos and other investigative information obtained, a possible suspect was developed. It was further determined that a Salem Police Officer had contacted the possible suspect in the early morning hours of March 24th and arrested him on several outstanding warrants from other jurisdictions. He was lodged in the Polk County Jail on those warrants.
Lincoln City Police Detectives responded to Polk County and Salem where they continued to gather additional information that resulted in a search warrant being executed on a vehicle associated with the suspect. During the service of the search warrant, Detectives recovered items stolen during the Lincoln City burglaries. On Tuesday, March 28, 2023, Lincoln City Police obtained arrest warrants for 30-year-old Joshua Murrell of Damascus, Oregon, charging him with four counts of second degree Burglary, two counts of second degree Theft, and two counts of second degree Criminal Mischief.
Due to Murrell already being in custody on several other previously issued warrants, he is being held in the Polk County Jail until such time that he can be transferred to the Lincoln County Jail to be arraigned on the local charges. The Lincoln City Police thanked the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, and the Salem Police Department for their assistance with this investigation. They also thanked the local businesses that provided surveillance video and information used to help solve these burglaries.
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