Homeowner Sets Up Cameras, Catches Suspected Cherokee County Thieves

A homeowner, fed up with being burglarized over and over again, helped deputies track down the suspected thieves.

Now, three people are charged thanks to strategically placed game cameras.

For several weeks on several different occasions, the owner of a lake house on Tenkiller Lake noticed things disappearing every time he visited.

"Tools, some bicycles, household products, stuff like that, things he had stored that he used while he was there," said Cherokee County Undersheriff, Jason Chennault.

He said the owner finally had enough and set up game cameras that, eventually, caught the thieves in action.

"They would go in whenever they thought they had the chance and just take what they wanted at that time," Chennault said.

The high resolution cameras clearly showed three thieves took stuff from his property on several different days.

Their vehicle also showed up in a couple of the pictures.

"Every picture is just as clear as the next," said Chennault.

A Cherokee County deputy recognized the suspects and they were arrested.

"He had dealt with them in the past. He knew that they were thieves that were living in the area," Chennault said.

Investigators recovered many of the stolen items before they could be sold.

Jonathan Poindexter, Cynthia Sutton and Taylor McClure face second degree burglary and concealing stolen property counts.

"They all admitted being there. Course, when you're confronted with pictures of yourself committing a crime, it's hard to deny," Chennault said.

It's a case where the combination of frustration and the latest technology paid off.

"This is better than some of the surveillance footage that we get from convenience stores and gas stations and places like that," said Chennault.

Investigators said cameras of this quality may be costly, but it can be worth it, especially for vacation homes where owners aren't there all the time to keep an eye on things.