Published: October 26, 2009 10:23 pm      

Burglary suspects arrested

Two Logansport teens charged; police search for third.

Logansport police have arrested two of three teenagers suspected of trying to break into the home of a woman who recently paid one of the boys to rake her leaves.

About 2 a.m. Monday, officers responded to a report of suspicious activity in the 1700 block of Spear Street. The caller said she noticed three individuals walking back and forth near her neighbor’s residence.

Upon arrival, police spotted someone run from the area and another person standing at the corner of 18th Street. Sgt. Britt Edwards questioned the person on the corner and discovered that the officers had interrupted a burglary in process.

According to a police report, 18-year-old Brandon Lee Doss of Logansport revealed that he and two of his friends had been trying to force entry into the home of a 62-year-old woman who a couple days before had paid his buddy $10 to rake the leaves in her yard.

While inside, the hired help noticed money on the table. Doss reportedly said that’s why he, 18-year-old Michaell Scott Willis of Logansport and a teenager partnered to burglarize the home as the woman slept inside.

At the back of the woman’s home, Edwards reported finding the outside door removed from the hinges and tools lying on the ground.

While investigating, officers noticed someone hiding on a nearby porch. They reportedly found Willis acting like he was sleeping on a bench. He denied any involvement in the burglary attempt.

Doss reportedly told police that as Willis served as lookout he and the other teen detached the door before discovering a deadbolt lock prevented them from quietly forcing the door open. They had given up when police arrived, he said.

Both Doss and Willis were booked into the Cass County Jail on class B felony charges of burglary. If convicted, punishment ranges from six to 20 years in the Indiana Department of Correction.

Police are seeking a third suspect.

• Kevin Lilly is news editor of the Pharos-Tribune. He can be reached at 574-732-5117 or kevin.lilly@pharostribune.com.