Juveniles in break-ins to be charged as adults
Published 9:55 am Thursday, May 11, 2017
Four juveniles accused of breaking into three homes and killing a family pet in one during the weekend of April 23 and 24 will be tried as adults, Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said.
He said County Judge John Price certified Shamar Anderson, 16, Derrick Darden, 17, Landis Tobias, 17, and Jaquan Burden, 17, to stand trial as adults during a hearing in Warren County Youth Court. He ordered the teens held without bond in the Warren County Jail.
Tobias, Pace said, was a neighbor to one of the burglarized homes.
All four are charged with three counts of residential burglary and animal cruelty for shooting a dog during the burglary of a home in the 100 block of Rancho Road.
Darden and Burden are also each charged with possession of a transferred or stolen firearm, and Tobias is charged with conspiracy to commit burglary.
The first burglary was reported about 5 p.m. April 22 at the home in the 100 block of Rancho Road, where the family pet was killed and several electronic items were stolen.
A second burglary was reported just before 5 p.m. April 23 in the 5000 block of Bovina Cutoff Road.
Three firearms, bottles of prescription medication and some old coins were reported missing.
The third burglary was reported about 8 p.m. April 23.
Pace said one of the homes was equipped with a security camera and captured the teens on video during the burglary.
Officials from the sheriff’s office published that video on Facebook, which he said was a help identifying the suspects.
He said deputies recovered most of the stolen property with the exception of the firearms.
Also, Pace said, a witness was able to give a description of the vehicle used by the teens.
In another case, a Warren County man is charged with commercial burglary after he broke into the U.S. 61 North branch of Home Bank April 22.
Lance Richardson, 675 Stenson Road, was arrested May 1. He was being held without bond in the Warren County Jail, because he was out on bond for a previous burglary.
Pace said Richardson was arrested April 22 for burglary in the break-in of a car wash on U.S. 61 North. The break-in at the bank occurred the same night.
He said investigators examining the security tapes from the car wash and the bank were able to identify Richardson as the suspect in both incidents.