Decherd Police officers were dispatched to the Nissan North America powertrain assembly plant on the afternoon of Monday, November 4, 2024, regarding multiple vehicle burglaries that had occurred in the parking lot that morning.
Nissan security provided images of the suspect's vehicle entering the parking lot through the malfunctioning exit gate at approximately 04:50 AM. The car could be seen parking in multiple rows of the employee parking lot. The driver would exit the vehicle each time it was parked and go to other nearby vehicles, checking for unlocked doors. The subject would enter the unlocked vehicle and could be seen rummaging through the vehicle. On several occasions, the subject could be seen removing items from the vehicle. The number of vehicles the suspect burglarized is unknown but estimated to be approximately 50.
Nissan security provided pictures of the vehicle exiting the parking lot at approximately 06:45 AM. The photographs showed two distinctive characteristics: a donut spare and a broken grill.
The Decherd Police Department posted several photos of the vehicle on its Facebook page, and ESPN-Winchester asked for help identifying it. That evening, information was received about the suspect vehicle's location in Cowan. Efforts to locate the vehicle on Monday evening were unsuccessful.
The Cowan Police Department was notified that the vehicle was possibly frequenting their city and asked them to BOLO for it. Cowan Chief Wilkinson spotted the vehicle on the afternoon of Tuesday, November 5. Chief Wilkinson made a felony stop on the vehicle. Three occupants were detained, and Decherd Police was notified.
One pistol matching the description of one stolen from the Nissan parking lot was found in the suspect’s vehicle. The back seat passenger, Juan Caraballo, had a holster on his belt and two different calibers of pistol ammunition in his pocket. The driver, Christopher Dawson Clark, stated there were more guns at his residence on Hawkins St in Cowan. Clark gave consent to search the residence. One pistol was found in the oven at the residence and confirmed to be stolen. A backpack was in Clark's bedroom, which he stated contained more firearms, but Clark denied ownership of the backpack. Clark indicated that his passenger, Juan Caraballo, owned the backpack. Caraballo denied ownership of the backpack. The backpack was seized, and a search warrant was obtained to open the backpack. The warrant was executed, and four pistols were found inside, along with magazines and ammunition. Two of the magazines did not match the pistols found in the bag but appeared to fit other pistols stolen from Nissan that have yet to be recovered.
Clark and Caraballo were arrested and charged with multiple counts of vehicular burglary, theft of property $2,500 - $10,000, and trespassing.
The investigation is ongoing, as items not previously reported as stolen have been recovered. However, items are still missing. If you have any information regarding these thefts or are a victim who has not filed a report, contact the Decherd Police Department.
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