Two Charged With Burglary After Alert Woodlawn Residents Report Suspicious Vehicle

Left, Sheila Ware and Shaun Whitfield, right, were arrested and charged with numerous burglaries. Mugshots provided by OPD.

Alert citizens in the Woodlawn neighborhood helped law enforcement apprehend two people who allegedly burglarized homes from multiple places in and out of Oxford and Lafayette County.

On Friday, police were notified by residents in Woodlawn that a suspicious vehicle was driving very slowly at around 8 p.m. Officers arrived on scene and conducted a traffic stop on the truck. Inside the vehicle, they found Shaun Whitfield, 45, of Senatobia and Sheila Ware, 39, of Sardis.

While officers were out of the truck, a resident in the neighborhood called 911 to report a burglary. The victim told dispatch what was missing from their home and officers discovered those items in the truck that were visible in plain sight.

Whitfield and Ware were arrested and transported to the Lafayette County Detention Center where they were charged with residential burglary and possession of burglary tools. All stolen items were returned to the owner.

During the investigation, officers learned that Whitfield and Ware were staying at a campsite at the Wall Doxey State Park. Law enforcement officers with OPD, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Park, the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office and the Panola County Sheriff’s Office were also involved due to stolen items from multiple jurisdictions discovered by police.

Whitfield and Ware were both given a bond of $50,000 by a Justice Court judge. Both individuals have holds on them for the Panola County Sheriff’s Department and Whitfield has a hold for multiple felony warrants in other jurisdictions.

“This is why we preach, if you see something, say something. You never know what it may lead to,” said OPD Interim Police Chief Jeff McCutchen.