Alva Review-Courier -

Three young men from Cherokee are facing numerous charges involving a break-in at an apartment. Allegedly the break-in was the result of money owed on a drug buy. When one was being arrested on warrants relating to the burglary, he ended with more charges.

According to Alfalfa County court records, on Monday, Feb. 20, about 5:11 p.m. Cherokee Assistant Police Chief Ryan McNeil went to 300 W. Cherokee on a report of a burglary at an apartment. He spoke with the victims, Caitlyn Siemon and Mason Andrada, who said they had come home from work to find the front door kicked open.

McNeil observed the door frame was broken, there were dents on the door, and the latch plate was on the ground outside the apartment. Estimated damage to the door and frame was about $500.

Inside the apartment a television screen was broken (valued at $400). Cushions from the couch were thrown off, and the contents of the living room were in disarray. The couple found someone had gone through Siemon’s wallet, taking her driver’s license and an expired permit. The PlayStation 3 game console, which was sitting in an entertainment center under the damaged TV and valued at $300, was found to be covered and had an unknown fluid inside, suspected to be urine, and would not work. It also appeared the suspect had urinated on the carpet in the living room directly in front of the game console. The residents said there were five PlayStation 3 video games missing, valued at approximately $300.

Siemon and Andrada found that the suspect had entered the southeast bedroom and dumped all their clothes onto the floor and had gone through the dresser drawers. Neither could identify any property missing from the bedroom.

In the kitchen, they discovered an AT&T modem/router with an estimated value of $100 had been unplugged from the wall and appeared to have been urinated on. It would not work.

The back door of the apartment was found unlocked and a lawn chair, valued at approximately $20, was broken on the rear porch area.

Both Siemon and Andrada told McNeil that “Willie James” was a possible suspect. They said they had been having a problem with him and his brother Zach over not paying back money they owed to Willie. Neither would give specific information about what they owed the money for. Both said that over the last few days they had received what they considered threatening text messages from Zach James.

A witness who lived in another apartment in the complex said sometime after noon she was outside with her son and saw a man she recognized as William James at the front door to the burglarized apartment. She did not know what he was doing, and a short time later she saw him sitting in the back seat of an older beat-up red car. She said there were two others in the car. She recognized Drew Hoggard in the front passenger seat but didn’t see the identity of the driver.

On Tuesday, Feb. 21, Assistant Chief McNeil spoke to Hoggard at the police department. Hoggard denied any knowledge of the incident, saying he was not in a red vehicle and not at the apartments on Monday. Hoggard said he had helped pull a vehicle out of a ditch and ended up having to be pulled out himself by two other people. McNeil was able to speak to the two named, and they said about 4:30 p.m. Monday they helped pull Hoggard and an orange PT Cruiser out of a ditch approximately two miles east and one mile south of the post office in Cherokee.

McNeil learned that William James, Zach James and Hoggard were observed together at the Jiffy Trip convenience store by multiple people on Monday. He verified this by checked the security video of the business.

Additionally McNeil learned Hoggard walked into the business and went to the Sonic counter where he asked the assistant manager whether Mason Andrada was working. Neither Andrada nor Siemon were friends of Hoggard or actually knew him. Just before that, Siemon observed William James and another male she didn’t recognize at the drive-through window staring at her.

On Wednesday, Feb. 22, McNeil met with Siemon and Andrada. He told them what had been learned during the investigation and pointedly asked both if the incident was over illegal narcotics. According to the affidavit, both told McNeil that Williams James had delivered approximately three grams of raw marijuana and several brownies made with marijuana sometime during the week prior to the incident. When asked how much they owed to James, they said $120. They said they were contacted by Zach James about the money, and told him they would have to wait to be paid and didn’t want William James around the apartments because of his being arrested Feb. 17. They said Zach James then began sending threatening messages to them. Andrada told McNeil he accidentally erased the messages.

Charges Filed

William Keith James, 18, of Cherokee was charged March 6 with three felony counts: (1) burglary in the second degree (punishable by imprisonment for two to seven years), (2) malicious injury to property – over $1000 (punishable by imprisonment in the state penitentiary for up to two years or a fine not exceeding $1000 or by both fine and imprisonment), and (3) distribution of controlled dangerous substance – including possession with intent to distribute (punishable by imprisonment for two years to life or a fine of up to $20,000 or both). He was also charged with petit larceny, a misdemeanor, for allegedly taking five PlayStation 3 games. That crime is punishable by imprisonment for up to six months or a fine of $10 to $500 or both. His bond was set at $15,000 on the felonies and $1,000 for the misdemeanor. His next court appearance is April 5.

Christopher Drew Hoggard, 19, of Cherokee was charged March 7 with two felonies: (1) conspiracy to commit burglary in the second degree, and (2) conspiracy to distribute controlled dangerous substance). He is also charged with a misdemeanor of obstructing an officer which is punishable by imprisonment up to one year and/or up to $500 or both. His bond has been set at $10,000 for the felony charges and $2,500 for the misdemeanor. He is due back in court on April 5.

On March 8, Zachery Gordon James, 20, of Cherokee was charged with two felony counts: (1) conspiracy to commit burglary in the second degree (punishable by imprisonment for up to 10 years or a fine of up to $5,000 or both) and (2) conspiracy to distribute controlled dangerous substance (punishable by imprisonment for up to ten years or a fine of up to $5,000 or both). A warrant has been issued for his arrest.

More Charges

On Tuesday, March 7, about 2:40 p.m. Assistant Chief McNeil, Cherokee Police Chief Michael Andrews, Police Officer Bill Irvin, and Alfalfa County Undersheriff Glenn Oister located Williams James who was wanted on felony and misdemeanor warrants relating to the above case. James was outside of his pickup which had the hood up and the driver’s side door open. The vehicle was parked on West Second St. along the north side of the Cherokee City/County Library.

As the officers pulled up, James quickly closed the hood and started to enter the vehicle. He was told to stop and did so. He was then handcuffed and was told why he was being arrested. James teared up and became emotional but was cooperative. The officers asked James if there was anything in the truck, and he said no, telling them they could look in it.

Inside the truck, officers found a white plastic pill bottle in the driver’s side door which contained 14 ibuprofen pills and a small amount of a green plant-like material which appeared to be marijuana. They also found a small bud of green plant-like material on the floorboard.

James was taken to the Alfalfa County Jail.

Additional charges filed against William Keith James, 18, of Cherokee on March 8 were a felony and three misdemeanors. The felony was for maintaining a place for keeping/selling controlled substance with the pickup being referenced as the “place.” This crime is punishable by a fine not more than $10,000 and/or county jail imprisonment not more than five years and costs.

He is also charged with misdemeanors of: (1) possession of controlled dangerous substance, (2) unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and (3) obstructing an officer. The third misdemeanor paperwork states that James used his call upon his arrest to warn another defendant telling them to lay low and they were going to arrest him.