OWENSBORO, Ky. — An early Friday morning arrest in Owensboro has been connected to a series of recent firearm thefts, according to police.
Owensboro Police officers were dispatched to Harbor Hills Trace shortly after 4 a.m. following a report of two suspicious men and a vehicle alarm sounding in the area. The caller provided descriptions of the suspects and their direction of travel.
While canvassing the neighborhood, officers said they spotted two individuals matching the descriptions running and jumping fences in an apparent attempt to evade police. One suspect, William Coates, 18, was arrested in the 600 block of Alabaster Lane.
Police said footprints in the snow led officers to a handgun reported stolen from a vehicle in the 900 block of Turtle Creek Drive. Surveillance video also captured the firearm theft and an attempted vehicle theft in the 4100 block of Buck Trail.
Detectives with the Owensboro Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division said Coates has been linked to multiple firearm thefts from November 2025, including incidents in the 2100 block of Summer Walk and the 2500 block of Arbor Terrace.
Coates faces numerous charges stemming from multiple investigations, including:
Attempted theft (two counts)
Criminal mischief
Fleeing and evading police
Criminal trespassing
Assault on a police officer
Theft of a firearm
Tampering with physical evidence
Receiving stolen property
Police said Coates was uncooperative following his arrest. Additional investigations remain ongoing.
