A 23-year-old Charlotte man faces 71 charges following a series of car break-ins and gun thefts across the area.
Kelvin Alexis Contreras-Avila broke into dozens of cars across Charlotte and stole at least 10 guns, police said.
He was arrested early Friday morning. His charges include breaking and entering motor vehicles, larceny of motor vehicles, felony conspiracy, larceny of firearms, and more.
Police told Channel 9’s Glenn Counts that between April and June of 2024, Contreras-Avila broke into 41 cars and had 14 stolen firearms in his possession, most of which were from the car break-ins.
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But this was not the first time he was arrested. Contreras-Avila had been arrested before, facing other charges of petty theft, according to court documents.
Marcus Philemon organized a volunteer group called Courtwatch that keeps an eye on repeat offenders. He told Counts he was concerned by Contreras-Avila’s charges.
“Something of this magnitude is pretty troubling,” he said.
Police advise gun owners to never leave a gun in a car unless it is secured in a gun safe. And Philemon said he agrees.
“Sometimes people get in a rush, and it’s convenient to either throw it under the seat or in the console,” he said. “It’s just not the right thing to do.”
The advice works to prevent these guns from being stolen and used in other crimes.
“Now you’ve got a number of weapons on the street that they are not going to be traced until, unfortunately, some other crime has been committed,” Philemon said.
But he said he thinks the state should take car break-ins more seriously. And Contreras-Avila should be held accountable for his actions.
“The individual is young, and obviously, he has not been held accountable to this point,” Philemon said. “Until he’s held accountable to a certain degree, he’s just going to continue his behavior.”
WATCH: Residents at northeast apartments fear for safety amid string of incidents