Three Teens Arrested for Larceny of Motor Vehicles

The late-night theft of two vehicles from G & S Auto Sales in West Jefferson led to the arrest of three local

teenagers on Tuesday, April 21. Chief Brian Grogan of the West Jefferson Police Department issued a press release to announce that Logan Allen Hardin, 18, and Jacob Ross Houck, 18, both of Jefferson, and Matthew Shane Duncan, 16, of West Jefferson, were all arrested.

The teens were originally arrested, according to Grogan, at 5 a.m. on April 21 for misdemeanor damage to property and misdemeanor prowling "after they were on top of a downtown business throwing cinder blocks off the roof onto the roadway.

"At approximately 7:20 a.m., it was discovered that G&S Auto Sales," located at 711 South Jeferson Avenue in West Jefferson, "had been broken into and two automobiles had been stolen from that location," Grogan continued in the press release. He added that "during the investigation, it was found that the three teens were also responsible for the break-in and the larceny of the two automobiles" as well as breaking into the Helton Creek Country Store located at 14226 N.C. Highway 194 North in Lansing.

Both vehicles were later recovered.

Each teenager was charged by the West Jefferson Police Department with two counts of larceny of a motor vehicle and one count of breaking and entering, for a total of nine felony charges to go along with the two misdemeanor charges. The Ashe County Sheriff's Office has also charged each teenager with felony breaking and entering and larceny for the incident at the Helton Creek Country Store.

Grogan said that Duncan will be tried as an adult.

All three teenagers made their first appearance in court on Thursday, April 23. Houck and Duncan were both released from the Ashe County Jail on April 23, while Hardin was released on Friday, April 24. The secured bond for each of the teenagers was set at $20,500.

-Joel Frady