'Released' crooks try 2nd crime; busted

HOLLAND, Mich. (WOOD) - Some young men released at a traffic stop during the investigation of an attempted burglary at a gas station were later arrested for breaking into an attached garage of a duplex.

Holland Department of Public Safety officers were dispatched at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday to a report of some suspicious people near the rear of the Marathon gas station, 494 E. 32nd St. The gas station was not open at the time.

A worker on break outside Thermotron Industries on nearby Brooks Avenue noticed the incident and called police.

While officers were en route, the suspects ran across the road to the Comfort Inn parking lot where they were seen getting into a small compact car, which left the area on northbound Hastings Avenue.

An officer spotted the vehicle, described by the witness, near Hastings Avenue and 24th Street and conducted a traffic stop.

The suspect driver admitted to trying to break into the gas station. He was also in possession of burglary tools, police said in a news release.

That 20-year-old, Jay Thurman of Holland Township, was arraigned Thursday on charges of attempted felony breaking and entering and felony possession of burglary tools.

Bond was originally set at $50,000 cash or surety, but was lowered Thursday to 10% of $25,000.

The other three people in the vehicle were released pending further investigation and a review by the prosecutor's office.

Then at 4:49 a.m., officers were dispatched to a home invasion in which one of the residents saw two people entering the attached garage area of the duplex in the 300 block of Waverly Road.

The resident woke up his neighbor and chased the suspects who had each stolen a bicycle from the garage, police said.

The witnesses were able to catch one of the suspects near 12th Street and Waverly Road because the suspect was running after discovering one of the bikes had a flat tire.

Police were able to track down the other suspect.

These two garage break-in suspects were two of the passengers in the vehicle connected to the gas station burglary attempt.

Antonio Morgan of Holland Township and Shea Skinner of Fennville, both 18, were arraigned Thursday on one count each of felony home invasion.

Bond for each was set at 10% of $25,000 cash or surety.