A Harrisburg man faces two felony charges after allegedly stealing a vehicle and other items from a Batesville home while the resident slept.
On Wednesday around 11 a.m., police responded to a reported burglary at a home on Dogwood Drive. Batesville police officer Hutton Grace arrived at the scene, where the resident reported hearing noises around 8 a.m. Believing it was his daughter, who frequently checks on him, he went back to sleep. Later, he went downstairs to find his documents and checks missing, along with unusual drinks scattered around the home and two whiteboards with “strange” messages, including “Not Scott” and “Got Dirt,” according to court documents.
The resident also discovered that his 2014 Dodge Dart, valued at $1,000 to $5,000, was missing. Shortly afterward, Independence County sheriff’s deputy Max Rucker responded to a home on Reed Wade Road, where a man reported that a visitor, identified as Steven Christopher Caico (pictured below), had stopped by “talking conspiracies” and left files containing the resident’s name. The man said Caico admitted to breaking into the home and stealing the car, adding that he planned to return to the residence.
Deputy Rucker soon found the missing Dodge Dart on White Drive, with Caico behind the wheel and a female passenger. Officers took both into custody and transported them to the Independence County Detention Center.
The next day, investigators interviewed the passenger, who stated that Caico had arrived at her home driving a black Dodge he said belonged to someone else.
With her consent, investigators searched her cellphone and found messages exchanged with a contact, reportedly Caico’s girlfriend. According to Caico’s arrest affidavit, the messages referenced the stolen Dodge, the Dogwood Drive residence, and included a photo of the vehicle.
Caico, 28, declined to be interviewed. He is being held at the Independence County Detention Center on a $25,000 bond and is charged with residential burglary and theft of property.
No charges have been filed against the female passenger.
Image: Independence County Jail
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