Brentwood-Police
By Corey Little

Brentwood Police are looking for the owners of recovered stolen items from recent car break-ins throughout the city.

In the still-dark, early morning hours of Thursday, Feb. 2, Brentwood police pulled over a car for failing to obey a traffic signal. Inside the car they found numerous items, including a new iPhone 6 still in the box and a fur coat. The officers suspected something was amiss.

Now, nearly a week later, the two men in the car have been charged with numerous offenses. Kenneth Ray Hobbs III, 18, of Antioch, has been charged with Burglary of a Motor Vehicle, possession of a controlled substance, and tampering with evidence. Cody C. Hawblitzel, 21, of Smyrna, has been charged with Burglary of a Motor Vehicle and possession of a controlled substance.

It’s no secret that Brentwood has its fair share of car break-ins. Looking at all the merchandise in the 2011 Hyundai Genesis they had pulled over, Brentwood police wondered if they had just nabbed a couple of principal contributors to that problem.

One item they found in the car lent credence to that suspicion. An employee identification badge discovered in Hobbs and Hawblitzel’s car traced back to a residence on the 8200 block of Wikle Road in the Brenthaven subdivision. There, Brentwood police found evidence of a car burglary.

Officers have subsequently learned of a break-in on the 1200 block of Devens Court that they believe may also be related. Due to the number of items found in the vehicle, police suspect there may have been additional break-ins that have not yet been reported, Assistant Chief of Police Thomas Walsh said.

Police are seeking help from the public in reuniting some of the items found in the suspects’ car—including that new iPhone 6 —with possible victims of theft.

“Due to the amount of property in the vehicle we suspect that other thefts from vehicles occurred during the same general time frame,” Walsh said, in an email.

Brentwood police are asking anyone who is missing items after a recent car break-in to contact them. Specifically, they ask that you get in touch with Officer Bill Reape, the department’s property and evidence custodian. He can be reached at (615) 371-0160.