A cross-county crime spree ended with the bust of two suspects at the Royal Inn in Portsmouth just after 8 pm on Monday night. Not surprisingly, one of the men arrested is on parole for burglary and safecracking.
It all started on Monday afternoon around 2 p.m. when residents of a house on St. Rt. 125 caught two men breaking into their home.
After a man confronted them, They fled in a burgundy Ford Ranger, and officers began their search for the suspects. Around 6 pm, one of the victims spotted that truck in a driveway in Lucasville.
Scioto County Sheriff’s Deputies and OSP troopers responded to the scene and detained a suspect. County detectives searched his room and the area. They recovered a 16-foot trailer, four 4-wheelers, tools, camping items, deer heads, a riding lawn mower, jewelry, appliances, and other items at the Lucasville address.
During the course of the investigation, officers identified a second suspect and learned that he might be staying at the Royal Inn.
They called Portsmouth Police for help, and officers found the man. County detectives searched his room.
It’s unknown if these are the same men who hit a barn in Otway back on Easter Sunday and spent two hours cleaning it out. However, the list of recovered items does match some of the items the resident reported missing.
Officers arrested 41-year-old Brandon Cantrell of Lucasville on three counts of burglary, two counts of breaking & entering, and two counts of grand theft.
Cantrell has been booked into the jail on at least 20 previous occasions on charges including contempt, violating a protection order, aggravated trafficking, probation violation, OVI, parole violation, aggravated burglary, and aggravated robbery.
Also arrested was Jeremy McGhee, 42, who lists his address as homeless.
He was charged with three counts of burglary, two counts of breaking & entering, two counts of grand theft and parole violation. McGhee is currently on parole for burglary, safecracking, and receiving stolen property. He has at least 13 prior arrests including parole violation last April, burglary, possessing criminal tools, safecracking probation violation, theft, drug possession, felonious assault, and witness intimidation.
