CHARLES CITY – Two people who were caught after a foot chase when it was discovered they were gutting a vacant house in Charles City have entered guilty pleas.
The crime occurred on January 19, 2015 after 4 AM in the morning. A passer-by reported to police that there were people inside a vacant house at the 600 block of 9th Avenue, and no one was supposed to be there. Charles City police and Floyd county deputies responded to the scene. As they arrived, two people who were inside the house fled on foot.
After a brief chase, officers apprehended two people: 24-year-old Rebecca Gillen of Charles City and 24-year-old Ramone Maeweather of Calumet Park, Illinois. Gillen ran on foot and was caught quickly, but Maeweather got into a car and attempted to flee. He was caught after a short distance.
Gillen was charged with felony D burglary in the third degree, felony D second degree criminal mischief, possession of burglar’s tools, and interference with official acts.
Maeweather was charged with felony D burglary in the third degree, felony D second degree criminal mischief, possession of burglar’s tools, and driving without a license and no insurance.
Police said that damage was done to the house as the pair tried to rip copper piping out, causing “a large dollar amount of damage.”
Both suspects have now entered guilty pleas after initially pleading not guilty. Maeweather has a court date set for June 23 to go before a judge for a hearing on his plea change. Gillen will be in court that same day for sentencing after pleading guilty. Court records are incomplete on the charges each will plead guilty to.
CHARLES CITY — A plea change hearing has been scheduled for an Illinois man accused of being one of two people who tore out copper pipes in a vacant house in Charles City earlier this year. 24-year-old Ramone Maeweather of Calumet Park Illinois and 24-year-old Rebecca Gillen of Charles City were charged with third-degree burglary, second-degree criminal mischief, and possession of burglary tools after allegedly breaking into a Charles City home on January 19th. Gillen entered a written plea of guilty back in March to third-degree burglary in exchange for testifying against Maeweather. Online court records show District Judge Peter Newell on Thursday set a plea change hearing for Maeweather on June 23rd, the same date that Gillen is scheduled to be sentenced. The records do not indicate what he’ll plead guilty to.
