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Charges Dropped Against Local Burglary Suspect

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Burglary charges have been dropped against one of the suspected "bicycle bandit" burglars because of a witness' failure to identify the suspect in a second lineup.

Jerome Womack, 34, of 601 W. Prairie St., Warsaw, was arrested in March on a voyeurism charge. Investigators at the Warsaw Police Department filed information later reportedly connecting Womack with a burglary in Winona Lake.

Authorities report that the witness in the Winona Lake case did not identify Womack in a second lineup held in early April.

When Womack was arrested officials would not acknowledge that he was the suspected bicycle bandit, but documents filed with the court showed some similarity to the bandit's mode of operation.

Womack is still in Kosciusko County Jail, being held on the voyeurism charge, a misdemeanor.

The other suspect in the bicycle bandit burglaries is Frances Hamilton, 31, who is being held on $40,000 bond. Hamilton was charged with two burglaries. A warrant was issued for his arrest after he was reportedly involved in a physical confrontation with Warsaw police last fall.

The bicycle bandit was responsible for burglarizing more than 75 homes in the Warsaw area during the summer and early fall of 1996. He was known for entering houses while residents were asleep or in other parts of their homes, for stealing only cash or light jewelry, and for making his getaway on a bicycle.