RICHMONDVILLE, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) – State Police in Cobleskill have arrested two Oneonta residents in connection with a rash of storage unit burglaries in Richmondville.
On Saturday, April 15, State Police say they received reports of suspicious activity at a storage facility in Richmondville. An investigation into the reports allegedly revealed that the suspects – 31-year-old Brandon Burns and 29-year-old Sarah Yale, both of Oneonta – had been unlawfully living in a storage unit on the property. Further investigation also allegedly revealed that both possessed burglar’s tools, drugs, and other items that did not belong to them.
Both were arrested that day on charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance and a charge of possession of a burglar’s tool, as well as several other violations. Yale was released on an appearance ticket returnable to the Richmondville Town Court, while Burns was transported to the Schoharie County Correctional Facility to await arraignment.
After the original arrest, a further investigation into the incident revealed that Yale and Burns had forced entry into storage units near the unit they were residing in. Items allegedly stolen from the units included personal identifying documents and checks, including a check on Yale’s person that was later forged and named to her.
As a result of the second investigation, both Yale and Burns were arrested in Oneonta on Friday, June 9. The pair were subsequently charged with:
- Six counts of third-degree burglary
- One count of fourth-degree Criminal Possession of Stolen Property
- Six counts of fifth-degree Criminal Possession of Stolen Property
- One count of fourth-degree Grand Larceny
- Six counts of fourth-degree Criminal Mischief
- Two counts of third-degree Criminal Tampering
- One count of third-degree Unlawful Possession of Personal Identification Information
- One count of fifth-degree Conspiracy
The burglary, fourth-degree Criminal Possession of Stolen Property, and the fourth-degree Grand Larceny charges are all felonies; the remainder of the charges are misdemeanors. Yale was also charged with second-degree Identity Theft and second-degree Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument, both felonies.
Both Burns and Yale were transported to the State Police Headquarters in Cobleskill for processing and then brought to the Schoharie County Correctional Facility, where they currently await arraignment.
