A Mountain Pine teen was arrested Sunday evening after he was allegedly caught in the act of burglarizing a house and detained at the scene by a witness while two accomplices fled into the woods.
Michael Anthony Petty, 18, who lists a Ninth Avenue address, was taken into custody around 4:45 p.m. and charged with a felony count of residential burglary, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
Petty, who lists no prior criminal history, was being held on a $5,000 bond and was set to appear Monday in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Garland County sheriff's Deputy Bennie Strickland and Sgt. Terry Threadgill were dispatched to the 400 block of Mountain View Street in Mountain Pine regarding a burglary in progress.
They were told the female homeowner was en route and then learned a witness, 31, had one of the suspects involved, later identified as Petty, detained in the 300 block of Mountain View. The witness said two other suspects had run into the woods.
Threadgill arrived first and detained Petty. Strickland spoke to the homeowner who stated she found some of her property behind the residence in the 300 block of Mountain View. Strickland checked and found a butane bottle, oil heater, microwave and red stapler on the ground.
When questioned, Petty allegedly admitted that he and two male accomplices, whom he identified, had broken into the residence in the 400 block and removed the property. The two accomplices had not been arrested as of Monday afternoon.
Local on 11/19/2019