Grants Pass couple charged in up to 30 burglaries - February 18, 2005

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2005-05-09

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51 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, May 8, 2005   Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery  | Contact Us       SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries   Life   Opinion   Tempo   AP News   Weather   Classified   Archives   Site Map   SPECIAL SECTIONS   Since We Asked   Outdoor Journal   Menu Guide   How To Guide   Health   Readers' Choice   Real Estate Showcase   Real Estate Guide   Joy Magazine   Homelife Magazine   Wedding Guide   Passport to the Rogue Valley     SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad  TOP JOBS   EXTRA   Ashland News   NIE   Personals   Movie Times   TV Times   E The People   Volunteer   Moving here?  eSouthernOregon   CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 18, 2005 Grants Pass couple charged in up to 30 burglaries By JACK MORAN Mail Tribune Police on Thursday arrested a Grants Pass couple suspected of burglarizing more than two-dozen Jackson County homes over the last three months. Lance Taylor Huggins Jr., 25, and Brenda Lynn Wandling, 36, both of the 5800 block of Williams Highway, were lodged late Thursday in the Jackson County Jail on multiple charges of first-degree burglary and first-degree theft of firearms. Each was being held on more than $200,000 bail, Jackson County sheriff’s Detective Colin Fagan said. Citizen tips gathered while police investigated a string of Valentine’s Day burglaries led authorities to the pair, Fagan said. Huggins and Wandling are believed to have been involved in as many as 30 daytime burglaries since November in the Old Stage Road area and other parts of rural Jackson County. Many of the crimes occurred while residents were at home or had left for a short period of time, Fagan said. "Our biggest concern was that these people were getting bolder and bolder," Fagan said. Advertisement On Monday, Huggins and Wandling allegedly entered a home in the 700 block of Old Stage Road near Jacksonville and made off with several guns, jewelry and other valuables. Residents of the home reported the burglary occurred while they were gone for about 40 minutes, Fagan said. Later in the day, the couple allegedly stole about $3,000 in property from a home in the 15000 block of Highway 238 near Provolt. A male resident of the house was working outside at the time, and reported seeing Wandling’s white Jeep Cherokee parked nearby, Fagan said. The Cherokee was also spotted earlier in the day outside a home in the first block of Dean Drive in Central Point, where a male resident spoke with Huggins as he neared the house, Fagan said. A female resident of a home in the 14400 block of Highway 238 told police she was inside with a 20-month-old baby when a woman she later identified as Wandling entered the house without permission before fleeing, Fagan said. The couple was arrested Thursday morning, after detectives surrounded the travel trailer they shared. Fagan said after obtaining a search warrant, detectives located a "significant amount" of stolen goods inside the trailer, many of which were taken on Valentine’s Day. Detectives plan to schedule a viewing of the property for residents whose homes have been burglarized in recent months. Wandling has no prior felony convictions in Oregon. Huggins’ prior felony record includes convictions for first-degree burglary and third-degree assault. Besides the theft and burglary charges he now faces in Jackson County, Huggins was also arrested on five counts of being an ex-felon in possession of firearms and a pair of outstanding warrants from Josephine and Harney counties, Fagan said. Mail Tribune Home  | Local News  | Sports  | Business  | Obituaries  | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives  |  Site Map  | Community  | Classified   Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg diamonds Distance Education Diamonds Paris Hilton Online Poker Auto Insurance Mesothelioma Slippers Student Loans Tatoo tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoos Mortgage Calculator Free Home-Loan Referrals Payday Loans Advertisement s