The Philadelphia Police Department (PPD), the Neshoba County Sheriff’s Office, and MS Bureau of Narcotics recently conducted an undercover operation regarding several motor vehicle thefts in the city over the last 2 months.
Thefts were arranged over social media where vehicles were listed for sale. Individuals then showed up to purchase the vehicle with a cashier’s check that was found to be fraudulent after the exchange was made.
Authorities were notified by a citizen who gave information about an individual attempting to purchase their vehicle via the same scheme as previous thefts. Officers arrested four individuals who showed up to purchase this citizen’s vehicle.
Diasia McAllister, a 26-year-old female; Jerome Collins, a 22-year-old male; Marice Collins, a 21-year-old male, and Taekuan Cohen, a 19-year-old male – all of Jackson, MS – were arrested and booked into Winston-Choctaw County Regional Correctional Facility and charged with Felony False Pretense.
At the time of these arrests, officers discovered that Jerome Collins was wanted by Jackson Police Department (JPD) for possession of a stolen firearm, Marice Collins was wanted by JPD for Murder, and Taekuan Cohen was wanted by JPD for armed robbery.
Philadelphia Police Chief, Eric Lyons, says more charges are expected with PPD in connection with the previous thefts in the city as well as multiple other jurisdictions where these same crimes have been occurring. This case spans throughout Mississippi as well as into Louisiana and Texas.
