Published: July 01, 2008 03:12 pm      

Lost, then found

County police officers sort stolen property

DANVILLE — The exposition hall of the old Hendricks County Fairgrounds may have been full of tools, televisions, and various appliances last Monday, but the Hendricks County Sheriff’s Department wasn’t holding a garage sale.

Instead, investigators were sifting through stacks of stolen property, recovered from a rash of recent burglaries across the county. The exposition hall was chosen because of the large amount of property recovered.

Sheriff’s Department detectives issued arrest warrants this week for suspects Brian Nysewander, 42, and Philip Fletcher, 38, both of Mooresville, in connection with the roughly 18 local burglaries reported within the last six weeks.

Sheriff’s Lt. Roger Call said the two have been breaking into storage units by cutting locks. Among the affected areas are storage units in the towns of Clayton, Lizton, Mooresville, and Monrovia.

“This is the time of year when these (burglaries) seem to pick up,” Call said. “My advice is for people to check their storage units. We want people to come in and claim these things, otherwise will have to auction it off.”

Sheriff’s detectives recovered thousands of dollars’ worth of stolen property by acquiring search warrants for storage units rented by Nysewander and Fletcher. The majority of the items were those that thieves typically target — tools, car parts, electronics, and lawncare equipment. Authorities even found a full-size refrigerator.

Call said recovery of the items was made possible by a tip that the Sheriff’s Department received from a reader of the Hendricks County Flyer, which broke the news of the burglaries earlier this month. He also credited the investigation work of Mooresville Police Det. Brad Yarnell.

Call said both Nysewander and Fletcher have prior criminal histories, and authorities have not yet been able to locate them. Anyone with information regarding the case or looking to claim stolen property is encouraged to contact Call or Sgt. Amanda Keesling by calling 745-9354.

kevin.leibrock@flyergroup.com