Two suspects arrested after returning to scene of burglary

Two suspects were arrested Wednesday after they returned to the scene of a recent burglary, the Scott County Sheriff's Department reported.

James H. Daniels II, 31, of Bell City, Missouri, and Grant Daniels, 26, of Benton, Missouri, were charged with two counts each of second-degree burglary, theft and property damage.

Grant Daniels also was charged with unlawful use of drug paraphernalia, according to a news release from the Scott County Sheriff's Department.

The department received the initial burglary report Wednesday morning from a farm machine shop east of Benton, the release stated. Items reported stolen included hand tools and a utility trailer.

Wednesday afternoon, officers received a second burglary report from another machine shop in the same area, the news release stated.

Late Wednesday evening, the property owner contacted investigator Barry Morgan when the suspects returned to the scene of the second burglary, according to the news release.

The owner was watching the building, and the suspects fled, leaving behind tools they were stealing, the release stated.

Morgan tracked the suspects based on a vehicle description and an item left in a tool bag found at the second scene, the news release stated.

Sheriff Rick Walter said the majority of the stolen property, including the utility trailer, has been recovered.

Morgan specializes in rural crime, particularly thefts of items found on or near farms.

Walter said Morgan's assignment from patrol has helped solve recent rural theft cases, including the theft of irrigation pivot wire.

"What he does, too, he talks to pawn shops and scrap dealers," Walter said of Morgan. "He focuses on anything farm-related. The majority of our area is farm ground. That's the biggest industry here."

bkleine@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3644

Pertinent address:

100 block of South New Madrid Street, Benton, Mo.