By Shavonne Potts
spotts@salisburypost.com
CLEVELAND — Investigators are looking for anyone with information about two home burglaries that occurred in the same neighborhood and are likely connected.
Matt Lance, the brother of homeowner Michael Lance, told a Rowan County Sheriff’s deputy when he (Matt) arrived at a Childers Road home, all of the doors were open. Matt Lance reported the incident Monday at 3:10 p.m., thinking someone was inside at the time. Deputy A.C. Goodman determined no one was inside the home and there was no apparent forced entry into the home.
Matt Lance’s Smith & Wesson model 15-22 was missing from his room. It was inside a case. His brother Michael’s Mossberg 12-gauge model 500 pump shotgun was also taken. The shotgun was also in a case.
Michael Lance told investigators when he left the home all of the doors were locked. Investigators determined the thief may have entered the home through an unlocked, but closed window, said Capt. John Sifford.
The second incident also occurred on Childers Road, where the victim, Danny Stephenson, told Goodman it looked as if someone tried to pry open a side door. The door had pry marks on it, Sifford said.
The homeowner said he believes the thief may have been scared away by his dog. Stephenson’s wife, Carolyn, later called investigators to say her jewelry box was taken. She estimated the value to be around $875, Sifford said.
Anyone with information about these two incidents are asked to contact the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office at 704-216-8700 or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-639-5245.