With a warrant issued, Missouri Southern could be one step closer to a safer campus.

Using latent fingerprints and “informant information,” the department of public safety identified 17-year-old David C. Reynolds, suspected of involvement in the rash of thefts from parked cars over the past two semesters.

Ken Kennedy, director of public safety, believes a group of three suspects, including Reynolds, used a quick “crude” method of breaking into the vehicles, breaking windows or choosing unlocked cars.

“Within seconds they can grab several items and be gone, that’s why no one ever sees them,” Kennedy said.

With the warrant out for Reynolds, Kennedy hopes it will mean a safer campus for students and their cars.

“I’m pretty confident that we’ve at least made a dent in the thefts on our campus,” he said.

Josh Doak, director of housing, is glad to know authorities have identified suspects in the robberies.

“I’m happy about it,” he said. “Identifying them will help stop or at least reduce all the little petty thefts that have been going around on campus these past semesters.”

Despite authorities making progress in the case, Kennedy is still “actively pursuing” getting more cameras on campus for when “the next group of thieves comes along.” However, he also hopes students will adopt a more observant role on campus.

“If you see someone walking around looking in cars, we sure want to know about that,” he said. “We would certainly like the student body to be our eyes and ears.”

Correction: Previous versions of this story reported that the warrant was issued by the Joplin Police Department. The Jasper County Prosecutors Office issued the warrant. The Chart apologizes for this error.