A 46 year-old Cardington man faces up to 4 ½ years in prison after being found guilty by a Marion County Common Pleas Court Jury of multiple felonies, including the Attempted Burglary and Trespass in a Habitation of a Waldo residence.
Marion County Prosecutor Ray Grogan, who tried the case with Assistant Prosecutor Emily Bowen, said Shane Smith, of Cardington, was captured on home security video in the early morning hours of May 12, 2019 attempting to break into a residence and the detached garage. Smith then returned that afternoon and made his way into the residence before he left and was confronted by the homeowner and detained by law enforcement.
“Imagine reviewing security footage and seeing a man try to break into your home in the middle of the night while wearing a Cleveland Browns football helmet, then having that same man come back and force his way into your home in broad daylight,” said Grogan. “This incident was as terrifying as it was bizarre. Unfortunately, this family may never fully feel the safety they felt before this senseless series of crimes. Simply stated, this was downright scary,” Grogan said.
According to Grogan, at approximately 2:30 a.m. Smith parked his pickup truck in the driveway of the Waldo home wearing a Cleveland Browns jacket and a Cleveland Browns helmet. Unsuccessful in his attempt to break into the house and a detached garage, Smith drove away into the countryside where his pickup truck later became stuck in a field. At approximately 4:30 p.m. Smith appeared back at the same Waldo residence, having left his Browns helmet in the truck and tossing his Browns jacket along the side of a country road.
This time, according to Grogan, Smith walked into the residence through the front door, moved the family dogs into the garage while a terrified homeowner huddled in the bathroom with a firearm and called her husband and then 911.
When the husband returned to the home, Smith was standing in the driveway. Deputies arrived a short time later and arrested Smith. Smith eventually led Deputies to the Browns jacket and his truck where the Browns helmet was also located. Smith faces up to 36 months in prison for the Attempted Burglary and 18 months in prison for the Trespass in a Habitation.
According to Grogan, Smith also faces up to 18 months in prison in a second case in which he pled guilty to the Theft of a Chevrolet 2500 pickup truck from a Marion car dealership in April of last year.
In that case, Smith walked into the dealership and told the salesman he wanted to pay cash for the truck. When the salesman went to his supervisor to get the cash price on the truck, Smith picked up the keys, entered the truck and drove away.
When deputies eventually stopped the truck miles from the dealership, Smith claimed he had bought the truck with cash and had the paperwork to prove it. However, the only paperwork Smith showed the deputy was the owners’ manual and the registration from the prior owner.