Four local teens by have been charged by State Police and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in a series of arrests tied to a series of burglaries this past summer.
Police arrested two teens Tuesday, Sept. 20 charging each with one count of the Class D Felony third-degree burglary.
Charged, and remanded at the time for lack of bail, were 18-year-old Logan M. Hall and 17-year-old Brandon W. Flint, both of Granville.
Police said the group was responsible for up to 10 burglaries around the town as well as across the border in neighboring Vermont.
Also arrested in connection to the burglaries were Dustin A. Spencer, 17 and a 14-year-old who will be dealt with in the Family Court system as a juvenile offender.
The four are accused of breaking into homes and businesses from roughly June to August, some more than once.
Cases officials said are tied to the group, include the theft of a chainsaw from a Route 22A garage as well as a Hick’s Orchard burglary where a safe was taken; a Chapman’s General Store in Middle Granville break-in where cigarettes were taken; at Midtown Auto $100 in cash was taken and in August jewelry was taken from Donahue Way. Some of the locations were burglarized more than once, officials said.
Police said no one incident broke the investigation open despite a close call with police last month.
Aug. 5 a resident of Donahue Way returned home in mid-morning and interrupted a burglary in progress.
Granville Village Police assisted State Police at the time in searching for a pair of suspects the resident saw fleeing the residence.
“The arrests were the result of a long-term investigation,” State Police Investigator David Mosher said.
Unlike other burglary rings around the region in which suspects cited supporting a drug habit as the reason for committing the crimes, officials said this one appears to have multiple reasons for taking place.
Dylan T. Evans, 17, was not charged in relation to the burglaries, but was arrested following the Mettowee Street traffic stop where the 14-year-old suspect was taken into custody.
Evans was charged with Class D felony of criminal sale of marijuana due to the amount of marijuana he had in the car which also resulted in the misdemeanor charge endangering the welfare of a child as the marijuana was in the car at the same time as the 14-year-old.
Evans was also charged with the violations unlawful possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of alcohol by a person under the age of 21; and infractions of insufficient taillights, headlights and for (broken) safety glass.
State Police and Washington County Sheriff’s Office handled the cases.