Suspect faces more charges
PROSPECT — State police Tuesday filed two more cases against a suspected burglar already jailed on charges he broke into a pair of homes last month.
In the latest cases, Jerry Higley, 22, of Prospect is accused of breaking into the same house in the 400 block of Main Street in Prospect between Jan. 12 and 20.
The alleged crimes at Robert Kelly’s house were no random acts, according to investigators. Kelly, who believed Higley was homeless, had recently allowed him to stay at his home.
“(Kelly) felt bad for him,” police said in charging documents.
But after his stay was terminated, Higley returned to the house and allegedly broke in Jan. 12 or 13, stealing an Xbox video game system.
Kelly immediately suspected Higley. But the suspect denied any wrongdoing when police questioned him Jan. 13.
However, investigators later learned that Higley had sold the victim’s Xbox console at a gaming store in Butler Township, document said.
But Kelly had not seen the last of Higley.
On Jan. 20, he told police that he had awakened to find Higley in the living room of his home, documents said.
The two argued and then tussled before Kelly got his BB gun and fired it at Higley several times, chasing him out of the house.
Police on Tuesday charged Higley with burglary, trespass, theft and other crimes in the two cases.
Higley has been in the Butler County Prison since Jan. 26 when police from several municipal departments arrested him a short time after he allegedly burglarized two homes in Lancaster Township that same day.
Authorities said after the first break-in, Lancaster police stopped the suspect’s getaway car driven by an alleged accomplice. But Higley ran off.
While police from Lancaster, Zelienople and Evans City searched for him, he broke into a second house in the 400 block of Whitestown Road.
A short time later, police caught him on Whitestown Road.
Higley is charged in the Lancaster Township cases with two counts each of burglary, trespass, theft, receiving stolen property, and a lone count of escape.
He is in the county prison $25,000 bail.
