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New Castle – A Hagerstown man was arrested on a felony burglary warrant on Wednesday (12/3) afternoon shortly after he allegedly attempted to steal a gun safe from a New Castle home by hooking it to his vehicle with a rope and dragging it down a road on the southeast side of New Castle.

Back on 10/24 /14 Trooper Tyler Painter had taken a burglary report at a residence on 950 E. in Henry County. After investigating the burglary, Painter developed suspects and turned his investigation over to Henry County Prosecutor Joe Bergacs for his review. After his review of the case, Prosecutor Bergacs issued a warrant for felony burglary.

Now fast forward to Wednesday 12/3, around 1p.m. in the afternoon. Trooper Painter and Trooper Doug Snyder were at 151 E. Main in Hagerstown to serve the burglary warrant on one of their suspects, Floyd Richards Jr., age 35. Richards wasn’t at home, but as the troopers were leaving the house they heard Henry County Dispatch put out a report of a yellow Ford SUV dragging a gun safe behind it south out of New Castle on Dublin Pike.

Painter and Snyder knew that their suspect, Richards, often drove a yellow Ford Escape SUV, so they started west towards New Castle from Hagerstown. The two troopers intercepted and stopped the east bound yellow Ford Escape on the CR 200 South just east of 850 E. in the east edge of Henry County. They immediately arrested the driver, Floyd Richards on the felony burglary warrant from Painter’s case. The gun safe was no longer tied to the vehicle.

Officers from the New Castle Police Department found the stolen gun safe in the road on Dublin Pike just south of town where it had come loose from the vehicle. The safe had been taken from a nearby home where alert neighbors had noticed suspcious activity and phoned police. Painter lodged Richards in the Henry County Jail on his felony warrant and then went to look for the second suspect involved in the 10/24 burglary.

Painter located suspect number two, Mathew York, age 33 at the home of a relative on N. 24th St. in New Castle. He was taken into custody without incident and lodged in the Henry County Jail on a felony warrant for Burglary. The investigation is ongoing, and as Trooper Painter works with other agencies in the area, further charges could be filed against the duo.

The New Castle Police Department is investigating the burglary case involving the theft of the gun safe by Richards on Wednesday. Police often see an “uptick” in residential burglaries this time of the year. Citizens can help by watching over their neighbor’s homes and by calling 9-1-1 or their local Indiana State Police Post to report any suspicious activity.
All Suspects Are Presumed Innocent Until Proven Guilty in a Court of Law