By DAVE SCHULTZ
Three men are in custody in connection with a series of burglaries in Wells and Huntington counties during the past several months.
Det. Chip Swindell of the Wells County Sheriff’s Department identified the three men as Todd Shuman and Michael Martin, both of Ossian, and Zachary Harper of Markle. Swindell said none of the trio has yet been in court.
In a news release, Swindell said the three men have been charged with various counts of burglary and theft — most of them in Wells County. Shuman and Martin are being held in the Huntington County Jail and Harper is being held in the Wells County Jail.
The news release said a resident in the area of the burglaries — Swindell later said the resident lives on the Wells/Huntington county line — noticed suspicious activity near the individual’s residence one night in early October. Swindell said the men had actually started up an excavator and had done damage to a house.
The men fled the scene before police arrived, and that led to the arrest of three men in Huntington County. “Additional investigative work by Wells and Huntington County law enforcement officials resulted in the arrests of three men” — Shuman, Martin, and Harper — “who are believed to be responsible for the break-ins in Wells County,” the news release stated.
The primary area of the thefts is from Wells County Road 600W west to the county line and from Markle north to the Zanesville area, Swindell said.
Many of the items recovered during the investigation have been returned to their owners, but the Wells County Sheriff’s Department still has several items that are believed to be stolen. “If you or someone you know has recently experienced a theft, but failed to report it, please notify our office with a description of your property,” the press release said.
daves@news-banner.com
