Two brothers believed to be responsible for last week's armed robbery of Pride Gas Station, Syracuse, and multiple home burglaries were arrested around noon Wednesday.

Russell W. Stidams Jr., 22, of 9832 Rock-A-Bye Road, Cromwell, and Christopher Wayne Stidams, 24, White Pigeon, Mich., were arrested in a gravel pit, south of Backwater Road, North Webster.

The pair were found sleeping at the gravel pit, one inside a vehicle and one underneath a tree. They were "arrested without incident," Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department detective Travis Marsh said.

"One second they were sleeping, the next they were in cuffs," Marsh said.

The sheriff's department and Indiana State Police arrested the men after receiving anonymous tips and recovering stolen property specific to the crimes the men allegedly committed.

One item, a bearded lizard stolen from a Warsaw residential burglary, was recovered. Items are believed to have been traded for money or drugs.

Officers easily located the men in their hide-out because they had used the same location before. The men were once suspects in an automobile theft case and were located at the same gravel pit. No charges were filed in that incident.

Both suspects have prior criminal records in Kosciusko County. Russell Stidams has been charged with two counts of battery, battering a police officer, attempted jail escape, theft and possession of marijuana.

Christopher Stidams has prior charges of battery, conversion and possession of marijauna and paraphernalia.

The Stidams are suspects in residential and business burglaries in Kosciusko, Noble, Allen and Elkhart counties, and in Cass County, Mich. It is unknown if the vehicle found at the arrest scene is stolen. [[In-content Ad]]