More charges against three teens involved in theft ring

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Rowan County sheriff’s detectives have added more charges against three teens accused of participating in a theft ring that targeted mostly vehicles throughout Rowan County.
Tina LaRay Austin, 16, of 135 Cedar Ridge Lane, China Grove; Timothy Paul Wiseman Jr., 17, of 162 Kitty Lane, China Grove; and Dustin William Hartsell, 16, of 309 N. Moriah St., Landis face additional charges of:
– One count of felony breaking and entering.
– Six counts of breaking and entering a motor vehicle.
– One count of felony larceny.
– Five counts of misdemeanor larceny.
– One count of felony larceny pursuant to a breaking and entering.
– Two counts of misdemeanor possession of stolen goods.
– And one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.
Rowan sheriff’s officials said investigators were able to to link the three teens to additional crimes based on items seized during an earlier search of Wiseman’s Kitty Lane home.
Those items were linked to burglary/larceny reports from the Salisbury Police Department and Rowan County Sheriff’s Office.
Victims in these cases were Telesforo Acosta, David Miller, Larry Scott Young, Kenneth Koontz, Timothy Messinger, Michael Whisenant, Christopher Shackelford, James Carpenter, Christopher Lowder and the State of North Carolina.
All three teenagers already were held in the Rowan County Detention Center, and a magistrate added an an additional $25,000 secured bond against each.
The fourth teenager charged previously is Derrion Crawford, 16, of 707 Valley St., Landis, and he does not yet face additional charges.