CHOCTAW, Okla. - Police have arrested 38-year-old April Calkins, along with her teenage son Cody Gotowala, on burglary charges.
Calkins, also facing a charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, is accused of taking her 13-year-old son along with them on the crime spree.
The boy told authorities he went with his mom multiple times, taking items like little girls clothing and in one case bullets for a gun.
The boy told police his mom had done more than a hundred burglaries in the Oklahoma City area.
He said he stopped going with her when he realized what she was doing, and although Calkins and Gotowala are now in custody, officials say the investigation is not over yet.
Officials with the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office say a child’s doll led them to the major burglary ring in Choctaw.
Last month, deputies with the sheriff’s office discovered thousands of dollars worth of stolen items at a Choctaw home, near N.E. 36th and Choctaw Rd.
According to a search warrant affidavit, deputies began their investigation into the home after a doll was seen online.
On Sept. 4, a victim called the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office after noticing “a Cabbage Patch doll matching one stolen in the burglary was being sold on an online classified website.”
Investigators said the victim spotted the doll for sale on ‘Letgo’ and was being sold by “Craft Pirate.”
Ultimately, investigators were able to track down the seller.
According to the search warrant affidavit, deputies attempted to speak with the seller and immediately noticed items that matched the description of other pieces of stolen property. Deputies were able to obtain a search warrant for the property and seized items like hunting gear, power tools and video games.
