Police capture one of two wanted in Bear Rocks burglaries
?State police captured one of two people wanted for allegedly breaking into a house in Bullskin Township Wednesday.
Cpl. Charles Frey said police captured Daniel Henry Ward, 25, of 143 Rockport Road, Acme, at a residence at 1528 S. Pittsburgh St., S. Connellsville around 11?p.m. Wednesday.
Frey said Ward, along with Sommer Louise Inks, 25, of Hibbs are suspected of burglarizing multiple homes in the Bear Rocks area in recent weeks, including the burglary Wednesday afternoon.
He said Ward was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Jesse Cramer on burglary charges as well as three bench warrants that had been issued for his arrest and was subsequently placed in the Fayette County Prison on $7,500 bond.
Trooper James A. Pierce said that when troopers responded to the home after receiving a tip that Ward was holed up inside, they found him hiding in the attic.
Pierce said that police have been looking for the pair for about a week for allegedly breaking into a vacant house in Bear Rocks earlier this month.
Pierce said that it’s been difficult to find Ward and Inks because police believe they had been breaking into vacant houses and then living inside them, or living in the woods — essentially like vagrants. He noted that there are summer homes in that area that are not always occupied.
While Ward and Inks were attempting to enter another home in the area Wednesday, police said the homeowner confronted them with a gun and that Inks, Ward and an unidentified third person fled the area in a white Suzuki SUV.
Pierce said investigators were able to identify Inks and Ward as suspects in the break-ins that occurred in the area when they found items that belong to Inks and Ward in a house that had been broken into.
He said that all of the burglaries — six in total — have occurred during daylight hours. Money, and items such as jewelry, video equipment and guns have been stolen, he said.
Pierce described Inks as 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighing 120 pounds, with blond hair and hazel eyes.
He noted that Fayette County Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 in rewards for tips leading to the arrest and conviction of Inks.
Anyone with information about the case can call police at 724-439-7111 or Crime Stoppers at 800-272-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.
When Ward was captured, Frey said officers also discovered Heather Marie Sager, 25, of South Connellsville who was wanted on outstanding warrants. She was taken into custody without incident.