Five Washington residents have been charged with a grand total of 149 felonies and 37 misdemeanors by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office this week, all in relation to a string of vehicle break-ins that have hit communities throughout the area in recent months.

The charges stem from more than 30 break-ins that occurred in Washington Park, Bath, Cypress Landing, Tranter’s Run and River Birch since late May. Most, if not all, of the vehicles targeted were unlocked, according to BCSO Lt. Jim Vanlandingham.

Among the items stolen from the vehicles were personal items, cash and two guns, none of which has been recovered.

“The cash is not recoverable — it’s not traceable,” Vanlandingham said. “The guns usually hit the street, according to what we hear, in Greenville within a couple hours of being stolen. They can be sold on the streets in Greenville in a heartbeat.”

Between the five suspects, there were 146 charges of felony vehicle breaking and entering. Derrell Anthony White and Shyann Wooden, 20, both of Washington, were arrested Tuesday and are being held in the Beaufort County Detention Center. Thaddeus Maurice Wallace, Jr., 22, Trevelleria Dewan Carter, 18, and Dytavias Wooden, 19, all of Washington, were arrested last week and are currently being held in the Pitt County Detention Center.

“All five did not participate in every crime,” Vanlandingham said.

For Carter, Wallace and Dytavias Wooden, the charges from the BCSO follow a laundry list of charges filed by the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office last week. Each faces a total of 33 felonies and 14 misdemeanors in Pitt County. Wallace and Carter have also been charged with additional crimes by the Washington Police Department.

Those same three were charged with some of the most serious crimes by the BCSO, including three counts each of first degree burglary after allegedly entering attached garages to steal from vehicles inside. This also led to three counts each of larceny after burglary for the three, a felony no matter the value of the item stolen.

Carter alone is charged with two counts of larceny of a firearm in relation to the stolen guns.

In the past few months, vehicle break-ins have skyrocketed in Beaufort County, Washington, Pitt County and Greenville, and throughout the investigation into the break-ins, the BCSO, WPD and Greenville Police Department have been working together to find those responsible.

For the BCSO, a few breaks in the case led to the arrests, including video surveillance from targeted homeowners and a pair of traffic stops on June 15 and June 21, during which deputies identified some of the suspects. Vanlandingham said additional arrests and charges are still a possibility moving forward.