Staff Report

NORTH WEBSTER — Several people are facing theft charges for incidents that occurred in the North Webster and Leesburg area.

Lucas Levi Graham, 22, 32 EMS W23C Lane, North Webster, is charged with burglary, a level 5 felony; theft where the value of the property is between $750 and $50,000, a level 6 felony; and two counts of theft, both class A misdemeanors.

Dwayne Allen Cooper Jr., 37, 411 S. East St., North Webster, is charged with burglary, a level 5 felony; and theft where the value of the property is between $750 and $50,000, a level 6 felony.

Johnnie Franklin Howard, 39, 225 W. Buckeye St., South Whitley, is charged with theft where the value of the property is between $750 and $50,000, a level 6 felony.

Samantha Lee Burleson, 24, 8955 W. 125N, Etna Green, is charged with theft, a class A misdemeanor.

On Nov. 23, 2023, a North Webster Police officer responded to a theft report at Affordable Storage. Upon arrival at the scene, the officer noticed two building locks were cut from the unit and items were scattered around. At that time, the storage unit’s renter said about $1,200 in items were stolen from his unit. Items stolen included a deer stand and duck decoys.

According to court documents, on Nov. 27, 2023, Howard attempted to sell a deer stand and decoy ducks on Facebook Marketplace.

On Dec. 15, 2023, the unit renter provided a list of additional items that were stolen, with all of those items having a combined value over $600.

On Dec. 16, 2023, a North Webster Police officer responded to a theft involving Graham. Court documents redact details on what Graham stole and who the victim is in the case.

On Dec. 21, 2023, a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a theft at a Lassus Handy Dandy location involving Graham and Burleson. An employee said the two stole about $25 worth of store goods. Surveillance footage showed Graham and Burleson stealing from the store.

On Jan. 2, law enforcement spoke with a woman who said she and Graham were present when Cooper burglarized the storage unit and stole items. She said Cooper went to the storage unit multiple times in late November 2023. During one of the times, Cooper went inside the unit and Graham carried items to Cooper’s residence.

That same day, KCSO received a report about a theft at Lassus Handy Dandy in Leesburg. Graham stole candy bars from the store and left the business without paying for the items.

A KCSO detective spoke with Howard on Jan. 3. During the interview, Howard admitted to posting pictures of the deer stand on his Facebook page. He said he obtained the stolen items from an individual and figured they had been stolen.

In an interview on Jan. 3, Graham said he helped carry items to Cooper’s residence and went to the storage unit to steal items two separate times. He described the items as hunting and hiking gear.

During an interview on Jan. 4, Cooper admitted to finding the unlocked storage unit and said he was with Graham and Howard when they broke into the unit.

On Jan. 8, Howard failed to appear for a polygraph examination regarding the thefts.

Graham was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail on Feb. 12. Cooper was booked in KCJ on Feb. 8. A warrant was issued for Howard’s arrest on Feb. 8. Burleson has already been arrested and released on her own recognizance.