Court: Entering auto suspects apprehended after car crash

After crashing into a median on Williams Road left them with a punctured tire, two men suspected of a string of entering autos were arrested Monday, according to court testimony.

Dontrae Minter, 18, and Careyton Brown, 18, faced four charges of second degree burglary and one charge of obstruction during a Tuesday morning Recorder's Court hearing.

Minter also faced charges for failing to report an accident, failure to maintain lane, striking a fixed object and driving on the wrong side of the roadway. Brown faced an additional marijuana possession charge.

Officer Roger Smith told the court that officers were investigating reports of four entering autos on Red Maple Way. Witnesses told police that four men were seen driving through the area in a Dodge Neon.

Sometime Monday after, Smith was able to locate a Dodge Neon meeting the description of the suspect vehicle and attempted to pull the vehicle over. The driver refused, and led Smith on a chase to Williams Road, where Smith found the car crashed and abandoned.

The Dodge had a punctured front left tire and front damage when Smith found it. A nearby witness told Smith she saw four men exit the vehicle and run toward a construction site that connects with Whitesville Road.

Officers were able to locate two of the suspects, Brown and Minter, shortly after the crash. Police are still looking for the other two suspects, whose descriptions were not available.

Inside the vehicle, Smith said he found two iPods, a Samsung Galaxy, and a Cricket cell phone. More than $40 in change, a flashlight and gloves were also found in the vehicle.

Some of the items recovered in the car matched the description of items stolen during the entering autos, Smith said.

In a later interview, Minter allegedly told police that he knew his friends were breaking into cars, but that he was just driving them around.

Judge Michael Cielinski set Brown's bond at $21,000. Minter's was set at $21,500.

This story was originally published January 14, 2014 at 11:36 AM with the headline "Court: Entering auto suspects apprehended after car crash."