Thirty-two charges filed against burglary suspects

A laundry list of charges were filed against Brandon Estes, 20, and Joshua Franklin, 26, during their arraignment August 29.

The men are being accused of breaking into multiple Petersburg businesses last week along with the theft of cash and items at those locations.

Franklin received eleven felony and four misdemeanor charges including burglary, theft and criminal mischief.

Estes racked up 13 felony and four misdemeanor charges of the same nature.

Police received reports of break-ins and burglaries throughout the day on August 28 from locations at Petersburg Motors, AP&T, Wikan Enterprises, Parks and Rec, Hammer & Wikan and Joan Mei restaurant.

According to a police report, a witness “…reported suspicious activity behind Joan Mei…saw one man watching while another went back and forth to the back door of the restaurant after one o’clock in the morning.”

Officer Jared Popp found two men in the South Harbor parking lot matching the description given by the witness 15 minutes later. Pop identified the two men as Estes and Franklin.

Popp later identified Estes and Franklin wearing the same clothing, “dark hooded tops, ball caps, dark pants and tennis shoes”, in Parks and Rec surveillance footage during the time of its break-in.

Officer Alice Williams also positively identified Estes, Franklin and his dog Jynx on surveillance footage taken from Joan Me showed two people attempting to pry open the back door.

Police obtained nine search warrants and surveyed Franklin’s house at 401 Ira II Street. An officer watched Franklin throw something into a garbage can and later found the items to be “two energy drink cans, three credit cards in the name of Norm Fredericksen, Scott Fredericksen and Petersburg Motors”—all items reported stolen earlier that day.

Police also searched the house and found many of the items that matched the description of other items reported stolen from other businesses.

According to the report, Estes and Franklin admitted to breaking in to the Parks and Rec gym, AP&T, Petersburg Motors, Wikan Enterprises and the attempted break in at Joan Mei. Franklin also revealed the location of several other stolen items.

At Estes’ residence at 207 South Nordic, police also recovered veterinary medicine and cat and dog toys matching the description of stolen items from Waterways Veterinary Clinic at a break in August 15.

Petersburg Magistrate Desiree Burrell presided over Franklin and Estes’ arraignment and representatives from the businesses that were burglarized sat in the courtroom.

“Based on what I have here,” Burrell said addressing Franklin. “I find you to be a very big danger to this community and you can see all the people in this courtroom that were involved and who probably feel the same way,” Burrell said.

Burrell set Franklin and Estes’ bond at $20,000. She also issued a no-contact order for the businesses involved and a 24-hour sight and sound custodian in the event either Franklin or Estes make bail.

Their preliminary hearings will be held September 6 at 3:30 p.m.