NORTH VERNON, Ind. – The Jennings County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) was dispatched to a call of a burglary in progress in the 1100 Block North County Road 75E last Thursday evening. When deputies arrived, they located Mary Wood, 36, of Austin, and took her into custody on the preliminary charge of possession of stolen property.
Officers discovered a UTV that had been reported stolen from Austin, plus a trailer and lawn mower that had supposedly been pilfered from Jefferson County.
Further investigation led JCSO to the 3200 block of South County Road 600E. Recovered there were several allegedly stolen items including a camper, five trailers, and tools.
While searching the property, a car matching the description of a suspect vehicle drove by. Deputies tried to stop it but it fled at a high rate of speed initiating a pursuit. It was pulled over a short time later.
The driver, Jeremy Toppe, 32, and a female passenger Kristin Prewitt, 26, both of Seymour, were taken into custody. During questioning, it was learned that they were involved in several burglaries. They were taken to Jennings County Jail and charged with burglary.
So far, four burglaries in Jennings County have been solved as well as the out-of-county burglaries and thefts. The estimated amount of suspected stolen items that have been reclaimed exceeds $100,000.
The sheriff’s office is still actively investigating this case and is trying to locate Ryan Beeman, 39, of North Vernon, who is believed to be involved in several of the burglaries. He is described as a white male, 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 215 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes (see accompanying picture). Beeman has tattoos covering his arms, neck, and a large portion of his body.
Sheriff Kenny Freeman states that you should consider Ryan Beeman to be dangerous and should not approach him. If you have any information on his whereabouts, call 812-346-4911.
