Five Elkhart men were arrested after allegedly stealing ATVs and UTVs from a Warsaw dealership Tuesday.
Michael Lee Williams, 32; William L. Wind, 49; Mark Bradley Houghton, 37; Joshua Arthur Snyder, 33; and Adam Michael Smith, 37, are charged with burglary, a level 5 felony; theft, a level 5 felony; and criminal mischief, a class A misdemeanor.
Williams was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail at 7:24 a.m. Tuesday on a $10,250 preliminary bond. Wind was booked into the KCJ at 8:26 a.m. Tuesday on a $10,250 preliminary bond. Houghton was booked into the KCJ at 9:54 a.m. Tuesday on a $10,250 preliminary bond. Snyder was booked into the KCJ at 10:23 a.m. Tuesday on a $10,250 preliminary bond. Smith was booked into the KCJ at 10:38 a.m. Tuesday on a $10,250 preliminary bond.
According to the probable cause affidavit, at 5:57 a.m. Tuesday, Kosciusko County Dispatch advised law enforcement of a suspicious vehicle at a dealership. The caller said a box truck was parked in the parking lot. The caller also said someone was outside the vehicle and there were a couple four-wheelers.
At about 6:05 a.m., dispatch advised law enforcement there were three side-by-sides westbound on U.S. 30 without lights on that turned north on CR 250E. Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the incident.
At about 6:34 a.m., a deputy arrived at the dealership and saw ATV/UTV tracks in the fresh snow and found an overhead garage door with the lower panel kicked in to gain entry to the business. A second overhead garage door was used as the exit point of the ATVs/UTVs. The deputy noted several tire tracks and footprints around the outside of the business.
The deputy located three stolen ATVs with keys in the ignition behind the business. They were a red Suzuki King Quad 750, valued at $8,755; a green Suzuki King Quad 750, valued at $8,75; and a red Honda Rancher 420, valued at $5,800.
At about 6:53 a.m., deputies followed ATV/UTV tracks in the snow near a field on CR 100S and CR 32E to an area west of CR 20E, north of U.S. 30. They located three side-by-sides abandoned in a wooden area and noted one side-by-side was missing a key, according to court documents.
At about 7 a.m., a deputy checked the area of a church and located a man, later identified as Smith, walking along the west side of the roadway.
The deputy photographed Smith’s footprint in the snow. The deputy located a white box truck in the church parking lot and footprints along the side of the road that led into the church parking lot towards the white box truck. Smith said he did not drive the box truck and had nothing to do with it, according to court documents.
A deputy saw the rear door of the box truck was partially open and saw a motorcycle-type vehicle and a side-by-side. A camouflaged face mask was located between the box truck and a stolen side-by-side hidden behind a pile of trash.
A KCSO detective read Smith his Miranda rights and Smith refused to speak with law enforcement.
Items located in or behind the box truck and church were a 2025 Honda Pioneer 1000 Trail Edition, valued at $24,436; a 2025 Kawasaki KX450 dirt bike, valued at $9,700; and a 2024 Honda Pioneer side-by-side, valued at $23,900.
At approximately 7:19 a.m., a Winona Lake Police Department officer followed footprints to the parking lot of a hotel and located three men: Houghton, Snyder and Williams. Another WLPD officer arrived to assist and noticed Houghton held his waistband and the bottom of his jacket. The officer asked Houghton to put his hands on the top of his head and then a drill fell to the ground. The officer located an ATV/UTV key to one of the stolen side-by-sides in Houghton’s pocket, according to court documents.
The items located behind the hotel were two 2024 Honda Pioneer side-by-sides, valued at $21,900 each, and a 2025 Kawasaki Teryx 1000es side-by-side, valued at $21,850.
The detective read Houghton, Snyder and Williams their Miranda rights. Houghton and Snyder refused to talk to law enforcement.
An Indiana State Police trooper saw a suspicious person possibly related to the theft in a vehicle that was driving 34 mph in a 25 mph zone.