Winona Burglaries Solved
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Several weekend break-ins at Winona Lake were solved early Monday when Warsaw police detained an adult and a juvenile after they allegedly attempted to use a stolen credit card to rent a room a a Warsaw hotel.
Kenneth Ray Hochstetler, 22, of Bremen, is charged with burglary to a business, possession of paraphernalia and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He is being held in the Kosciusko County Jail on $5,000 bond. Drew Allen Krichbaum, 16, of 201 Lakeview Drive, Winona Lake, is charged with curfew violation and two counts of possession of marijuana. He was released to his mother's custody after being questioned by police.
Hochstetler and Krichbaum were apprehended at Wal-Mart after a security officer from Ramada Inn reported the two as acting suspicious. They were denied a room and Hochstetler reportedly asked if the limit on the credit card could be checked. He was told to do so by using the 800 number on the back of the card.
The card was apparently stolen from a vehicle belonging to Hal B. Harting, Auditorium Boulevard, Winona Lake, where a break-in was discovered to Harting's garage across from his residence, on Tennis Street. Several other break-ins, including to the Winona Lake Community Building, were then discovered.
Warsaw Police Department Ptl. Brian Hupp confiscated allegedly stolen credit cards from Hochstetler while questioning him at Wal-Mart. Hochstetler reportedly told Hupp that he found the cards near Taco Bell. Krichbaum allegedly had a stolen calling card in his possession. Also, the prints from the shoes Krichbaum was wearing reportedly matched those at the site of one of the break-ins.
Both Hochstetler and Krichbaum have reportedly admitted their involvement in the break-ins and also confessed to church burglaries in the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department jurisdiction.
Burglaries also were investigated in Winona Lake at Rodeheaver Auditorium, several vehicles and construction sites.
Winona Lake police didn't know that the two suspects were the same people they were looking for until they saw that the shoes Krichbaum was wearing matching the footprints around the town hall there and a fingerprint reportedly also placed him at the scene of at least one of the break-ins.
Winona Lake Town Marshal Malcom Gilbert said most of the stolen items - which nearly filled a town truck - were recovered.
The charges of possession of paraphernalia were added to the suspects' files after police reportedly found a straw with cocaine residue and a crack pipe in the back of the squad car used to transport them to the Warsaw Police Department for questioning. Police routinely search their vehicles after suspects exit the squad cars.
The matter remains under investigation among all three departments. [[In-content Ad]]
Several weekend break-ins at Winona Lake were solved early Monday when Warsaw police detained an adult and a juvenile after they allegedly attempted to use a stolen credit card to rent a room a a Warsaw hotel.
Kenneth Ray Hochstetler, 22, of Bremen, is charged with burglary to a business, possession of paraphernalia and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He is being held in the Kosciusko County Jail on $5,000 bond. Drew Allen Krichbaum, 16, of 201 Lakeview Drive, Winona Lake, is charged with curfew violation and two counts of possession of marijuana. He was released to his mother's custody after being questioned by police.
Hochstetler and Krichbaum were apprehended at Wal-Mart after a security officer from Ramada Inn reported the two as acting suspicious. They were denied a room and Hochstetler reportedly asked if the limit on the credit card could be checked. He was told to do so by using the 800 number on the back of the card.
The card was apparently stolen from a vehicle belonging to Hal B. Harting, Auditorium Boulevard, Winona Lake, where a break-in was discovered to Harting's garage across from his residence, on Tennis Street. Several other break-ins, including to the Winona Lake Community Building, were then discovered.
Warsaw Police Department Ptl. Brian Hupp confiscated allegedly stolen credit cards from Hochstetler while questioning him at Wal-Mart. Hochstetler reportedly told Hupp that he found the cards near Taco Bell. Krichbaum allegedly had a stolen calling card in his possession. Also, the prints from the shoes Krichbaum was wearing reportedly matched those at the site of one of the break-ins.
Both Hochstetler and Krichbaum have reportedly admitted their involvement in the break-ins and also confessed to church burglaries in the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department jurisdiction.
Burglaries also were investigated in Winona Lake at Rodeheaver Auditorium, several vehicles and construction sites.
Winona Lake police didn't know that the two suspects were the same people they were looking for until they saw that the shoes Krichbaum was wearing matching the footprints around the town hall there and a fingerprint reportedly also placed him at the scene of at least one of the break-ins.
Winona Lake Town Marshal Malcom Gilbert said most of the stolen items - which nearly filled a town truck - were recovered.
The charges of possession of paraphernalia were added to the suspects' files after police reportedly found a straw with cocaine residue and a crack pipe in the back of the squad car used to transport them to the Warsaw Police Department for questioning. Police routinely search their vehicles after suspects exit the squad cars.
The matter remains under investigation among all three departments. [[In-content Ad]]