Juvenile arrested after burglary

PANAMA CITY — A juvenile was arrested Wednesday in connection with a home burglary in which several firearms were stolen, police said Thursday.

The Panama City Police Department got a call about several juveniles running through the backyard of a residence on Drake Avenue at about 6 p.m. Wednesday when they dropped a bag of guns. The juveniles had fled the area on foot, but officers recovered three rifles from the abandoned bag.

PCPD later determined those rifles were part of a seven-gun cache taken during a home burglary in the 3100 block of West 21st Court. The homeowner returned from a trip Wednesday and discovered his residence had been broken in to and several firearms were taken, police reported.

Later that day, the police department received a call from a mother who reported her juvenile son to be in possession of a handgun, but the juvenile would not tell her where it came from. Jordan A. King, 17, was then brought to the Police Department for questioning, according to PCPD.

In their investigation, police officers said they learned the firearm was from the burglary on West 21st Court. A search warrant was obtained for the Kings’ residence, where two more stolen firearms were located; one of the firearms was found under King’s bed and the other was located under the residence, police said.

Six of the seven firearms from the burglary have been recovered. The seventh firearm is missing.

King was the only juvenile identified by PCPD to be arrested for burglary, and detectives are continuing to investigate the incident. A second juvenile, who was not identified by police, was arrested for resisting an officer without violence.

Further charges in this case are expected and additional suspects are being sought, PCPD said.

“We would like to thank the citizens of Panama City for their assistance in keeping these firearms off our streets,” said Officer Richard Thore in a press release.

Officers encourage anyone with information regarding this case to call the Panama City Police Department, 850-872-3100, or report tips anonymously to CrimeStoppers at 850-785-TIPS (8477).