Perry County police seek two burglary suspects

PERRY COUNTY, Mo. -- Perry County authorities are searching for two burglary suspects believed to be from the St. Louis area, said Perry County Sheriff Gary Schaaf.

Marcie D. Buhlinger, 21, and Christopher E. Jameson, 32, both of High Ridge, Mo., were charged with a string of burglary and property damage-related crimes Friday, but their whereabouts are unknown, Schaaf said Monday morning.

Buhlinger faces two counts of second-degree burglary, two counts of theft and two counts of property damage.

Jameson was charged with three counts each of property damage, burglary and theft.

Both suspects primarily spend time in Jefferson County and near St. Louis, Schaaf said.

Video surveillance at Krauss Trucking captured grainy images of both Buhlinger and Jameson during a break-in Oct. 14, 2007, Schaaf said.

Some keys were taken during the burglary but later recovered, Schaaf said.

Another burglary occurred that same night at another auto garage in Perry County, and some tools and cash were stolen, Schaaf said.

On Jan. 19, a higher-quality surveillance video captured Jameson during a burglary at Race Parts Direct in Perryville, Mo., and police were able to identify him, Schaaf said.

Only businesses have been allegedly targeted by the two suspects, but a possible link between the three break-ins and rash of burglaries in Cape Girardeau was considered anyway, said Sgt. Jason Selzer, spokesman for the Cape Girardeau Police Department.

They don't appear to be connected, however, he said.

Two attempted burglaries over the weekend round out a recent string of break-ins in Cape Girardeau neighborhoods, most of them bearing similar methods.

Jewelry, cash and firearms were the items most frequently taken, and in most of the burglaries the perpetrators gained entry by breaking glass or prying open doors at the rear of the residence, Selzer said.

The burglars appear to be getting out relatively quickly. In one instance, the homeowners left around 4:30 p.m. to return by 7:30 p.m. and find the house ransacked, Selzer said.

Most the of incidents seem to occur in early evening hours, just after dusk.

Jewelry has been the major common denominator in the burglaries, Selzer said, and none of it has been recovered.

The suspects are likely pawning it for cash out of state, he said.

Expensive electronics such as video game consoles and laptops have been left untouched at several of the residences, Selzer said.

The two weekend incidents bring up the total burglaries to 48 in the past three months, Selzer said.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

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