Missing person report leads to solving several break-ins

A missing person report filed May 16 indirectly led to the solving of several burglaries and break-ins in the county.

According to a report filed by Det. Ricky Lyall of the Alleghany County Sheriff's Department, Kevin Lewis Eldridge was spotted heading into Sparta on May 20 and was stopped by Deputy Craig Hart.

After the stop, deputies searched the vehicle's four occupants, including Eldridge, Edwin Halsey, Jason Troy Crouse and Mark James Madrid.

Subsequently, Crouse was cited with possession of drug paraphernalia, and charged with felony possession of methamphetamine; Halsey was cited with possession of less than one-half ounce marijuana and paraphernalia and charged with felony possession of methamphetamine and cocaine. Madrid was charged with possession of methamphetamine (a schedule II substance) on May 22, two days after the traffic stop, although the date of offense was listed as May 20.

During the traffic stop, the deputies received a report of a home that had been burglarized in the Pine Swamp community.

Upon further investigation by Lyall and Capt. Carlton Edwards, Eldridge and Crouse were charged with a night-time burglary on May 18 and a subsequent break-in the morning of May 20 to take a gas can with gas to put in Eldridge's vehicle.

During the investigation, a Web TV and Magnavox television that were taken from the residence were recovered.

In addition, evidence of other break ins was also collected, including one that occurred in the town's limits. Lyall passed that information on to Det. Lt. Wayne Crouse of the Sparta Police Department. Crouse filed all of the charges relating to break-ins at a Sparta residence owned by Donna Faye Reeves. Those charges are listed in detail below. The report stated that several items have been recovered and further charges are pending on both Crouse and Eldridge.

Charges filed against both Crouse and Eldridge include two counts of second-degree burglary, three counts of larceny of a firearm, two counts of breaking and entering, two counts of felony larceny and one count of larceny.

Get the rest of this article in this week's issue of the Alleghany News! Back