Burglary investigation nets four arrests
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By TRAVIS MORSE
tmorse@morningsentinel.com
MOUNT VERNON — Four people have been arrested in connection with a major local investigation involving stolen property, firearms, and residential burglary.
The suspects in custody are David K. Porter, 24, of Belle Rive; Riley M. Scott, 22, of Mount Vernon; Ray C. Garrison, 20, of Belle Rive; and Gavin A. Bradford, 18, of Belle Rive. They were arrested after four search warrants were served as part of a joint investigation involving the Mount Vernon Police Department and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
“These were offenses that occurred in both of our jurisdictions,” said Mount Vernon Police Chief Robert Brands. “By working together, we were able to gather more evidence and have a stronger case. And any time you have stolen firearms in the hands of criminals, it can be a danger to our community. We investigated this quickly and aggressively with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office to make sure that we got the illegal weapons out of the hands of the criminals, and we were able to put the criminals in jail to protect the community.”
Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Bullard also remarked on the case Friday.
“The joint investigation between our two agencies is a quality reminder how effective aggressive policing works for better public safety,” Bullard said. “A job well done by all those involved in these cases.”
On the evening of Jan. 2, the MVPD Detective Division obtained information relating to stolen property that stemmed from a residential burglary in early December 2025 in Jefferson County, states an MVPD news release. Throughout the night, detectives worked on the information and obtained a search warrant for a residence located in Belle Rive.
Then, in the early morning hours of Jan. 3, the MVPD/JCSO High Risk Team executed a search warrant at the residence in question. A search of that residence allegedly found a suspect, David Porter, to be in possession of multiple stolen items including firearms. Also, multiple other items that had been reported stolen were allegedly recovered from the residence. One of the firearm’s serial numbers had allegedly been defaced, and a second firearm was confirmed to have been stolen from the aforementioned burglary.
Porter has been charged with residential burglary, unlawful possession of a firearm by a repeat felony offender, possession of a stolen firearm, and defacing identification marks on a firearm. A parole warrant from the Illinois Department of Corrections had also been issued for Porter earlier in the week, the news release states.
Subsequent investigations were then conducted in the following days. As a result, information was obtained and multiple persons of interest were developed.
In the early morning hours of Jan. 7, the High Risk Team was activated to serve three additional search warrants in the Mount Vernon/Jefferson County area.
The first search warrant was conducted in the 1700 block of Harlan Road. There, a juvenile was taken into custody on an unrelated warrant. Also, a search of the residence allegedly revealed firearm ammunition inside the home. A suspect, Riley Scott, was then taken into custody and charged with obstructing justice, but has been released due to the provisions of the SAFE-T Act, the release states.
The second search warrant was executed in the 1000 block of Abbott Lane in southeastern Jefferson County. The residence was secured and turned over to detectives from both the MVPD and JCSO, and items were allegedly located inside related to the investigation. A suspect, Ray Garrison, was taken into custody at the residence and charged with defacing identification marks on a firearm, armed violence, methamphetamine possession, and possession of a stolen firearm, the release states.
And finally, the third search warrant was executed in the 300 block of Gum Street in Belle Rive. After the residence was secured, it was turned over to MVPD and JCSO detectives. A suspect, Gavin Bradford, was then taken into custody and charged with obstructing justice and residential burglary.
Additional stolen property was allegedly located as a result of the search warrants and the joint investigation continues, the news release states.
For more information on this case, contact the Mount Vernon Police Department.
