A Warren home that had already been gutted by fire and grief is now at the center of a break-in case, after police say two men tried to roll away from the scene with a snowblower.
Officers say witnesses spotted two people leaving the burned house on Belmont Avenue, one pushing a snowblower and the other carrying a tote. Investigators later recovered tools they say matched those witness accounts. The same home had been destroyed in an April fire that killed three dogs and left neighbors and first responders shaken, residents and officials said.
Warren police arrested William Peterson of Warren and Aaron Boden of Niles. Both are facing a fourth-degree felony charge of breaking, police said.
Officers were initially called to the 500 block of Belmont Avenue NE after a witness reported seeing two men leave the charred house with the snowblower and tote, according to WKBN. Police say they later found the two men in front of a property in the 100 block of Belmont Avenue and noticed what appeared to be forced entry to a garage at that location.
Fire Flattened The House Earlier This Month
The house at 528 Belmont Avenue NE was reduced to a shell in an early April fire that killed three dogs and left the structure a total loss, according to local reporting. Firefighters told the Tribune Chronicle that the lone occupant survived by jumping from a second story window onto a porch roof and was later treated at a hospital. At the time, investigators said the Ohio State Fire Marshal would be reviewing the origin of the blaze.
Police: Tools Recovered, Arraignment Set
When officers detained Peterson and Boden, they said they recovered a tote that contained a handsaw and hedge trimmers. Police believe those items were taken from the burned Belmont Avenue home.
Both men are expected to be arraigned Monday morning on felony breaking charges, police told WKBN. The investigation remains active, and officials are asking anyone with information to contact Warren police.
What A Fourth-Degree Felony Means In Ohio
Under Ohio law a fourth-degree felony typically carries a possible prison term of six to 18 months, along with other potential penalties that depend on the specific statute and case, according to the Ohio Revised Code. Both defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in court, and their arraignment will be the first formal step in the local case.
