Crime & Safety

Prescription Bottle Left at Home Leads Police to Repeat Burglary Suspects

Two of the suspects were previously charged with five burglaries and a third suspect is being questioned. The burglaries occurred in multiple vacant homes in the area.

A prescription bottle left at the scene of a foreclosed High Ridge home that was burglarized on Jan. 29 has led to a possible third suspect in a string of recent burglaries.

Last week, . The burglaries all occurred at homes were in High Ridge, but the two admitted to targeting several other homes in the area.

On Tuesday, Sheriff Oliver "Glenn" Boyer announced that deputies investigating a Jan. 29 burglary that had occurred in the 3300 block of Walnut Valley in High Ridge had obtained a prescription bottle, which was left inside the burglarized home. Copper from the home's air conditioning unit and copper tubing was stolen. A follow up investigation led to the identification of three suspects.

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The suspects - including Ehlen and Howard - cooperated with the investigation and identified locations where they were involved in the burglaries. All of the locations were in the High Ridge and Fenton areas. Several of the crimes were currently being investigated. However, there were other locations which had not yet been reported to the Sheriff’s Office. All of the homes targeted were vacant due to foreclosure.

Both Ehlen and Howard are currently being held in the Jefferson County Jail on $250,000 cash-only bonds. The third suspect was released pending further review by the county prosecutor.

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The investigation is ongoing with the possibility of other victims and suspects being identified.


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