5 arrested after attempted burglaries at 2 Greenwood gun stores
GREENWOOD, Ind. (WISH) — Two 18-year-olds, a 16-year-old and two 14-year-olds have been arrested in connection with the attempted burglary of two Greenwood gun stores, the Johnson County prosecutor says.
The 18-year-olds are Javanta Tavainy Phillips and Devon Warren Tibbs.
Phillips was formally charged Thursday with two felony counts of attempted burglary, a felony charge of resisting law enforcement, and a misdemeanor charge of operating while never having received a license.
Tibbs was formally charged Thursday with two felony counts of attempted burglary, and a felony count of identity deception.
Phillips and Tibbs are both on bond for cases in Marion County, and Marion County has been notified of the new charges, the prosecutor says.
The 14-year-olds are a boy and a girl, their identities were not publicly shared in a news release from the prosecutor. The release also did not publicly share the gender or identity of the 16-year-old.
The continuing investigation could lead to more arrests, the prosecutor says.
In regards to the arrests of the 14-year-olds and the 16-year-old, Johnson County Prosecutor Hamner Lance says he is reviewing the case to determine to whether legal grounds exist to seek a waiver of their cases from a juvenile court to an adult court.
The Republican prosecutor says the attempted burglaries connected to the happened Sunday at The Outdoorsman Sport Shop on State Road 135 south of West Smith Valley Road, and Saturday at Atkinson Firearms, 1240 Airport Parkway.
The arrests came after Greenwood and Indianapolis police as well as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives served a search warrant Sept. 11 at an Indianapolis home. The search warrant was issued after detectives with the Greenwood Police Department received a call from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department regarding an anonymous tip about a recent gun store burglary.
That tip led a Greenwood investigator to the home of the 16-year-old. Authorities recovered from the 16-year-old a firearm stolen during a burglary. Also, investigators also determined two stolen cars were used in the attempted burglaries.
This story has been updated with added information from the prosecutor.
