Staff Report

Terry Lynn Miller

SYRACUSE — A Fort Wayne man was recently arrested after allegedly burglarizing a Syracuse business and stealing two trucks.

Terry Lynn Miller, 39, Fort Wayne, is charged with burglary, a level 5 felony; and theft of a vehicle and theft, both level 6 felonies.

On June 27, 2021, a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s officer responded to a burglary and theft report at Hursey’s Inc., Syracuse. The officer spoke with the business’s owner, who said around 2 a.m. that day, someone unbolted a gate, entered a fenced-in area and stole two pickup trucks.

According to court documents, together, the trucks were valued $28,000 and also contained equipment and tools valued at $16,754. The owner said one of the trucks had a GPS tracker on it. The tracker showed the truck was in a Walmart parking lot in Michigan.

On June 28, 2021, a KCSO detective met with the owner, who said he reviewed surveillance footage of the theft. The owner discovered a man and woman were involved in the incident.

Evidence found at the scene connected the incident to Miller. The detective was then informed that one of the stolen trucks was recovered and its driver was identified as Miller.

On June 29, 2021, the KCSO detective spoke with Miller, who said he and the woman were walking when a man in a white truck stopped to give them a ride.

Miller said he offered the man $50 to borrow the truck for a few hours. He told the detective the man agreed and told him to just park the truck along the road when he was done with it. Miller said he had no intentions to bring the truck back. When the detective mentioned evidence that connected the theft to Miller, Miller allegedly stopped talking.

Officers also watched video surveillance of the incident and positively identified Miller as the man involved in the burglary and theft.

No charges against the woman involved in this case have been filed.

Miller was previously convicted of theft and carrying a handgun without a license with a prior conviction in Marshall County.

At the time of this incident, Miller had pending charges in Kosciusko County for burglary, methamphetamine possession, theft with a prior conviction, and paraphernalia possession.

He also has pending criminal charges out of St. Joseph and LaGrange Counties for resisting law enforcement, marijuana possession, and methamphetamine possession.

For this case, Miller was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail on June 4, 2022, with a $10,250 surety and cash bond.