Published: June 29, 2009 11:29 pm      

5 face burglary charges

Suspected in 9 incidents in Westwood, Ironville

Westwood — The Boyd County Sheriff’s Department arrested five on burglary charges Sunday.

Three teenage men, a 17-year-old female and an 18-year-old Ashland woman were arrested for their suspected roles in nine burglaries in Westwood and Ironville.

Willard Leo Brown, 19, of Huntington, Thomas Bradley Baumgarten, 19, of Land O’ Lakes, Fla., and William D. Hamilton, 19, of Ashland, along with an unnamed female juvenile, were charged with first- and second-degree burglary.

Breeanna S. Justice, 18, of Ashland, was charged with first-degree burglary facilitation.

All the adult suspects are in the Boyd County Detention Center, while the juvenile is in the Boyd County Juvenile Detention Center on Roberts Drive.

The three men were arrested during the course of an attempted burglary on Emitt Drive in Ironville.

The homeowner called police when she arrived home to find one of the men inside her house. Deputies arrived and arrested two of the three men as they attempted to steal a vehicle on Rose Road. The third escaped on foot but was later arrested on Ky. 55.

Police say the trio then gave consent to search their apartment at Hillcrest in Ashland. Police say they found several weapons, computer equipment, cameras and jewelry.

The female juvenile was arrested in the apartment and admitted to police she had gone into homes with the men and taken items.

Justice was arrested at her apartment, which she also gave consent to police to search. Police found PlayStation games, jewelry, cameras, weapons and game equipment. Justice told police she had driven the others around to commit the burglaries.

The sheriff’s department reported the arrests solved nine burglaries in the Ironville and Westwood area because items from each were found in the apartments searched. Three of the burglaries were in the Ashland area and will be turned over to the Ashland Police Department.

The suspects also admitted to being armed while committing the burglaries.

CARRIE STAMBAUGH can be reached at cstambaugh@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2653.