By John Estridge
An extensive investigation led to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department’s issuing arrest warrants for a Columbus couple regarding numerous, around 20, vehicular break-ins within the county.
Dustin Hurley, 33, and Amanda Zeigler, 31, are currently in the Dearborn County Jail booked on unrelated drug and impaired driving charges.
According to a Probable Cause Affidavit written by FCSD Major Gregory Mehlbauer, reports of vehicular break-ins began on June 12-13. Additional reports came in on June 19 and June 27. FCSD has identified 19 victims.
Mehlbauer said all the break-ins were related to a specific geographical location within the county, but that geographical location was not identified.
Two victims reported firearms stolen, another $800 in cash while eight reported credit cards taken.
Subsequent investigation revealed stolen credit cards were used at a CVS pharmacy in Cincinnati and Speedway gas stations in Green Township, Hamilton and Harrison, which are all in Ohio.
Mehlbauer retrieved video from the locations and was able to determine the two people in the video were Hurley and Zeigler. Hurley wore the same clothing in every video.
On July 14, the couple was arrested in Dearborn County after a traffic stop in that county. Hurley was charged with Possession of a Syringe, as a Level 6 Felony; Possession of Methamphetamine, as a Level 6 Felony; and Possession of a Controlled Substance, as a class A misdemeanor.
Zeigler has similar charges along with Driving with Impaired charges. Her charges are: Possession of a Syringe, as a Level 6 Felony; Possession of Methamphetamine, as a Level 6 Felony; Possession of a Controlled Substance, as a class A misdemeanor; Operating a Vehicle while Intoxicated Endangering, as a class A misdemeanor; and Operating a Vehicle while Intoxicated, as a class C misdemeanor
After the arrests, the Dearborn County Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant on the vehicle the couple was using at the time of the arrests. Mehlbauer was present during the search. Inside the vehicle, Mehlbauer said the following were found: clothing, which was worn in the videos; eight Indiana driver’s licenses, three of which belonged to FC residents; and five Social Security cards, two of which belonged to FC residents
On July 25, Mehlbauer traveled to Dearborn County Jail to interview Zeigler. Mehlbauer and Dearborn County Special Crimes Detective Carl Pieczonka conducted the interview.
According to the Affidavit, Zeigler said she drove the vehicle, identified as a white passenger car, while Hurley conducted the break-ins. She also admitted to wearing the clothing identified in the videos as well as going to all the locations shown in the videos.
Beyond that, Zeigler allegedly told the officers the couple used “the stolen credit cards to purchase various gift cards, specifically Home Depot.
“She and Hurley then took the gift cards to a business in Cincinnati known as ‘Gift Card Roundup’ where the cards were sold for a percentage of face-value,” Mehlbauer wrote in the Affidavit.
Also, Pieczonka obtained historical GPS locations for a phone number previously identified as Zeigler’s.
“It was determined that the GPS historical location data from the number corresponded both in date and geographic location with the vehicle break-ins/thefts in Franklin County,” Mehlbauer wrote in the Affidavit.
Following the interview, Mehlbauer went to Gift Card Roundup where the transactions were verified.
Due to having a previous Theft conviction in Brown County, Hurley’s Theft charges on the Affidavit, Counts 2 through 18, are felonies. Each is also charged with Conspiracy to Commit Identity Deception, which is also a felony.
Counts 19-37 for each are misdemeanor charges, Unauthorized Entry of Motor Vehicle.
They also face charges in Union County. Hurley is charged with Resisting Arrest, as a Level 6 Felony; Theft with Prior Conviction, as a Level 6 Felony; and Unauthorized Entry of a Motor Vehicle, as a class B misdemeanor.
Zeigler is being charged with Theft, as a class A misdemeanor; and Unauthorized Entry of a Motor Vehicle, as a class B misdemeanor.
If convicted of a Level 6 Felony, Zeigler and Hurley face sentences of six months to 2.5 years in jail.
It is believed the couple could face additional charges in other counties in Southeastern Indiana.