A Fort Wayne man is facing multiple charges after allegedly entering two garages, a residence and stealing a helmet and four-wheeler.
Antonio Amah Lee Brown, 25, is charged with burglary, a Level 4 felony; burglary, a Level 5 felony; theft, a Level 6 felony; theft, a Class A misdemeanor; resisting law enforcement, a Class A misdemeanor; and unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle, a Class B misdemeanor.
According to the probable cause affidavit filed Friday, Milford Town Marshal Derek Kreider responded to a house fire on Wednesday, during which the occupants of the house on fire left the scene, including a man later identified as Brown.
While assisting with the fire, Kreider was notified of a burglary to a garage where damage was done to the garage door and a helmet and a four-wheeler valued at $1,200 were stolen. According to the affidavit, Kreider spoke to a neighbor who stated she saw a man, later identified as Brown, leave on a four-wheeler with a helmet.
The neighbor followed Brown into Milford, when he stopped at railroad tracks on Catherine Street. Brown was attempting to start the four-wheeler when he was yelled at by the neighbor for stealing the four-wheeler. Brown walked away. The homeowner arrived at the location and confirmed the four-wheeler was stolen from his garage.
Law enforcement continued to search for Brown when a second garage was reportedly broken into and the homeowner’s vehicle had been entered, the affidavit stated.
The second homeowner advised law enforcement she was notified by a neighbor Brown was going through her vehicle in her garage. The second homeowner confirmed her vehicle was entered.
Law enforcement was contacted by the neighbor of the second homeowner who stated she was in her living room and heard a noise from her porch, where she discovered Brown asking for help. The neighbor went to retrieve her phone and observed Brown walk across the street and place a helmet on the second house’s porch and continue past the second residence.
As law enforcement was checking the area outside of the residence, the second homeowner noticed items out of place and blood on the floor in her residence. The second homeowner checked her bathroom, where she found Brown sitting on her shower seat. The second homeowner yelled out for law enforcement. Brown attempted to flee the scene, but was apprehended, according to the affidavit.
Brown suffered a wound to his foot at some point during the incident and was taken to the hospital for treatment. Brown ran from law enforcement exiting the hospital on foot while being given commands to stop, according to the affidavit. Brown fled by foot onto Dubois Drive, Warsaw, and entered a drainage culvert under the roadway. Law enforcement saw Brown in the culvert and were able to take him into custody without further incident.
On Thursday, Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office deputies interviewed Brown and he admitted to entering the first garage and stealing the four-wheeler. He also admitted to entering the vehicle in the second garage, taking a hand bag from the vehicle, and then entering the residence, according to the affidavit.
He was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail at 8:01 p.m. Wednesday.
Brown had been released from custody on a cash bond for pending charges of possession of methamphetamine in the court system of Noble County, according to the affidavit.
