James Hillard Hurd III

WARSAW — A man has been identified in the June burglary of Nunez Automotive.

James Hillard Hurd III, 29, 10376 South Edgewater Drive, Silver Lake, is being charged with burglary, a level 5 felony, and theft, a level 6 felony.

According the the affidavit of probable cause, a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Officer responded to a burglary call at Nunez Automotive on June 12. Owners Jorge and Francisco Nunez advised that some time between June 5th and June 12th an unknown subject had broken into their building by prying open the service door. The subject stole an air-conditioning charging unit, extension cords, DeWalt reciprocal saw, snap on battery tester, and a generator and battery from a Mustang that was inside the building.

The officer also spoke with a third-party who advised he does business with Nunez Automotive and is familiar with their tools. He purchased an air-conditioning charging unit from Hurd and recognized the unit from a distinct crack and knew the unit belonged to Nunez Automotive. He also purchased extension cords and a reciprocal saw from Hurd and gave them back to Jorge Nunez. Hurd also offered to sell a battery tester, but the third-party did not buy it.

When the officer spoke to Hurd and asked about the stolen items, Hurd took the officer to a wooded area where he retrieved the battery tester. Hurd then took the officer to a residence where he produced the generator. Both items were identified as stolen from Nunez Automotive.

At a later date Hurd provided a Century welder and a freon tank also stolen from the business.

All items were returned and identified as stolen. The items were valued at $3,300.

James Hillard Hurd III is being held at Kosciusko County Jail on a $10,750 surety and cash bond.