A 29 year old man of , of Grand Avenue in Sabina, Ohio and a second man, age 23, South Salem, Ohio were both arrested and incarcerated in the Fayette County Jail in lieu of bond following a string of criminal activity on Friday.
According to Sheriff Vernon Stanforth, law enforcement agencies in southwest Ohio were alerted by the Highland County Sheriff’s Office at 12:19 p.m. Friday afternoon, to be on the lookout for a stolen light blue 1996 Dodge Caravan. The vehicle was reported stolen from a car dealership in northern Highland County.
At 1:08 p.m., the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a resident in the 6000 block of Creek Road in Wayne Township, reporting that while in the basement of the home, the door of the residence was kicked in, and upon investigating, the resident observed an unknown male subject inside the home, according to Stanforth. “After observing the resident inside the home, the male suspect jumped out of a window at the home, connected with a second suspect outside the home and fled the area in a minivan closely matching the description of the vehicle stolen in Highland County, leaving towards the Rock Mills area”, said Sheriff Stanforth. Stanforth and his deputies responded to the call, saturating the area from different directions while searching for the suspect vehicle.
At 1:35 p.m., while sheriff’s detectives were still investigating the Creek Road burglary, the Sheriff’s Office received a residential burglary alarm at a home located in the 7000 block of Snow Hill Road in Concord Township. Upon arrival at the Snow Hill Road alarm, deputies discovered the front door of the home had been forcibly entered and was standing ajar. Deputies did not locate anyone at the residence upon their arrival. The homeowners were contacted and returned home to meet with deputies, discovering that several items had been taken from the residence, including electronics, firearms, and a safe.
At 1:56 p.m., Sheriff Stanforth and Sgt. Ryan McFarland checked a vehicle, similar in description to the suspect vehicle from the Creek Road burglary, in a driveway in the 300 block of Ghormley Road in Perry Township. After checking the vehicle registration, it was determined that the vehicle was not related to the Creek Road incident.
While returning to their patrol vehicles, Sheriff Stanforth and Sgt. McFarland observed the stolen 1996 Dodge Caravan, occupied by two subjects, drive past them on Ghormley Road toward the York Road intersection. Upon observing the sheriff’s vehicles, the suspects in the stolen vehicle accelerated, failing to negotiate a sharp left curve and drove off the roadway into the ditch where the vehicle became disabled. The two occupants of the vehicle were taken into custody by Sheriff Stanforth and Sgt. McFarland without incident, assisted by Greenfield Police Officer Jason Havens. The suspects occupying the stolen vehicle were identified as Stodgel and Newman. Inside the stolen vehicle, several firearms and electronics matching the description of items taken in the Snow Hill Road burglary were located. As the investigation continued, the items located inside the stolen vehicle were later positively identified as some of the stolen items from the Snow Hill Road burglary.
At 3:59 p.m., the Sheriff’s Office received a call from a resident on Old Charleston Road in southwest Fayette County, reporting the discovery of a safe located in the ditch on Morris Road, not far from the caller’s home. Sheriff’s deputies recovered the safe, later identified as the safe taken from the Snow Hill Road burglary.
The capture of the two men came one week following a multi-jurisdictional intelligence sharing meeting between the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, Highland County Sheriff’s Office, Ross County Sheriff’s Office, Greenfield Police Department, and the US 23 Major Crimes Task Force. The meeting, hosted by Sheriff Stanforth, focused on intelligence sharing related to recent burglaries taking place in southern Fayette County, northern Highland County, western Ross County, and in the Village of Greenfield.
As sheriff’s detectives continue their investigation, the men remain incarcerated in the Fayette County Jail in lieu of bond, each charged with Burglary (2 cts), Theft (2 cts), Safecracking, Having Weapons under Disability, Tampering with Evidence, and Receiving Stolen Property. Both are scheduled to appear Tuesday, January 17, 2012 in the Washington Court House Municipal Court for arraignment.
At 1:56 p.m., Sheriff Stanforth and Sgt. Ryan McFarland checked a vehicle, similar in description to the suspect vehicle from the Creek Road burglary, in a driveway in the 300 block of Ghormley Road in Perry Township. After checking the vehicle registration, it was determined that the vehicle was not related to the Creek Road incident.
While returning to their patrol vehicles, Sheriff Stanforth and Sgt. McFarland observed the stolen 1996 Dodge Caravan, occupied by two subjects, drive past them on Ghormley Road toward the York Road intersection. Upon observing the sheriff’s vehicles, the suspects in the stolen vehicle accelerated, failing to negotiate a sharp left curve and drove off the roadway into the ditch where the vehicle became disabled. The two occupants of the vehicle were taken into custody by Sheriff Stanforth and Sgt. McFarland without incident, assisted by Greenfield Police Officer Jason Havens. The suspects occupying the stolen vehicle were identified as Stodgel and Newman. Inside the stolen vehicle, several firearms and electronics matching the description of items taken in the Snow Hill Road burglary were located. As the investigation continued, the items located inside the stolen vehicle were later positively identified as some of the stolen items from the Snow Hill Road burglary.
At 3:59 p.m., the Sheriff’s Office received a call from a resident on Old Charleston Road in southwest Fayette County, reporting the discovery of a safe located in the ditch on Morris Road, not far from the caller’s home. Sheriff’s deputies recovered the safe, later identified as the safe taken from the Snow Hill Road burglary.
The capture of the two men came one week following a multi-jurisdictional intelligence sharing meeting between the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, Highland County Sheriff’s Office, Ross County Sheriff’s Office, Greenfield Police Department, and the US 23 Major Crimes Task Force. The meeting, hosted by Sheriff Stanforth, focused on intelligence sharing related to recent burglaries taking place in southern Fayette County, northern Highland County, western Ross County, and in the Village of Greenfield.
As sheriff’s detectives continue their investigation, the men remain incarcerated in the Fayette County Jail in lieu of bond, each charged with Burglary (2 cts), Theft (2 cts), Safecracking, Having Weapons under Disability, Tampering with Evidence, and Receiving Stolen Property. Both are scheduled to appear Tuesday, January 17, 2012 in the Washington Court House Municipal Court for arraignment.