Staff Report

WARSAW — A couple is facing multiple charges after allegedly breaking into a storage unit in Kosciusko County.

Terry L. Miller, 38, 2612 Broadway, Fort Wayne, is facing charges of burglary, a Level 5 felony; possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony; theft, a Class A misdemeanor; possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor; and sentence enhancement theft, a Level 6 felony.

Autumn L. Snare, 19, 10501 Main St., Leo, is facing charges of burglary, a Level 5 felony; possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony; theft, a Class A misdemeanor; possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor; possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor; and sentence enhancement possession of marijuana, a Class A misdemeanor.

According to a probable cause affidavit, on Aug. 2, a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s deputy responded to a burglary at Pack Rat Storage. He spoke to a man who witnessed people stealing from a storage unit while he was at the storage facility.

The man believed a vehicle he saw there, a Chevy Trailblazer, was suspicious due to previous incidents. He went to check on the vehicle, which was in front of a storage unit.

When the two people saw the man, they started throwing items into the vehicle. The vehicle sped out of the fenced-in area and traveled north on SR 13.

The witness attempted to follow the vehicle but lost track and then later saw the vehicle stopped in the yard at Vineyard Community Church.

He saw a man and woman run to the northeast corner of the church into a cornfield. The man provided a description of the two.

The Kosciusko County officer at the scene walked around the Chevy Trailblazer and reported he could see a ziplock bag containing an off-white powder substance on the driver’s seat. The officer believed it to be methamphetamine.

The vehicle was searched and a second ziplock bag containing an off-white rocklike substance was found in the center console cupholder. A glass pipe was found in the passenger door compartment. An orange chainsaw, box labeled “hats,” along with a new, unopened blanket and a box labeled “kitchen pots and pans” were also found in the vehicle.

A black lock with rubber around the locking mechanism was lying on the vehicle’s driver’s side door jam. The lock looked as if it had been cut off.

A Kosciusko County Sheriff’s deputy spoke with the owner of the storage unit that had been broken into. He said he hadn’t allowed anyone to get into the unit and described the lock that had been on it.

His description matched that of the lock in the vehicle. The man also identified multiple items taken from the unit and provided a key, which worked in the lock found in the vehicle.

Police were notified that a female was going door-to-door and asking for water and a place to stay. Police found a woman on Southshore Drive who was later identified as Snare.

She said she and her boyfriend, Miller, were traveling from LaGrange County and that the vehicle was almost out of gas and the couple had no money.

She said Miller began to drive to get them money and drove to Pack Rat Storage. She said the gates were open, so they drove inside. She said they went to two units.

Miller cut the lock off one unit and the other had no lock on it. It looked as if someone was living in it.

She said Miller took a chainsaw and she helped load a storage box in the vehicle. She was questioned about the drugs in the vehicle and said they belong to Miller and her.

Snare was handcuffed and searched. She was found to have a black digital scale with methamphetamine residue and a grinder containing marijuana.

While the investigation was going on along Southshore Drive, a homeowner told officers they had heard footsteps at the rear of the home. A police officer went to investigate. He saw a man running around the house to the area where another officer was located.

That officer ordered the man to stop and get to the ground, which he did. He was taken into custody and identified as Miller.

Miller has pending charges of possession of methamphetamine in LaGrange County and resisting law enforcement in St. Joseph County. He was previously convicted of carrying a handgun without a license prior conviction in March 2019 and theft in October 2011, both in Marshall County.

Snare has pending charges of possession of marijuana in St. Joseph County. She was previously convicted of possession of marijuana in Allen County in February.