Anthony Pease, 22, and Samantha Malcolm-Castaneda, 21, were arrested on Wednesday, July 15, and charged in connection with at least three Lovell burglaries and are being held at the Big Horn County Jail on $25,000 cash or surety bond.
Court documents state that a home in the 1300 block of Road 11 was burglarized sometime between 4 p.m. July 12 and 8 a.m. on July 13 and many items were taken.
Among the alleged stolen items are two air conditioners, a 30-06 gun, a 64-inch Mitsubishi television, three digital cameras, a wedding set, computers, a chainsaw and a piggy bank with $150.
A residence in the 1000 block of Lane 12 in Lovell was also reportedly burglarized. The homeowner, who was gone on vacation for two weeks returned July 14 to find several items missing. Among the items allegedly stolen were a 46” flat screen Vizio television, a Canon digital camera and coins and bars of silver.
A prescription bottle for gabapentin taken from the Lane 12 home was later located at the apartment shared by Malcom and Pease in Greybull during a search requested by the Dept. of Probation and Parole. Gabapentin, according to several Web sites, is used to prevent seizures and in some cases to stabilize mood.
Malcom reportedly told probation agent Don Keeler that she “had no idea how it got there,” when it was discovered in the canister of a vacuum cleaner on July 15.
On July 15, authorities searched the home of Pease’s grandfather on Sixth Ave. North in Greybull and retrieved a Vizio television matching the description of the one taken during the Lovell burglary. Pease’s grandfather said the television was a gift from his grandson, Anthony Pease, according to a court affidavit.
Big Horn County deputy Jeff Angell then received permission to search a Road 26 property rented by Pease’s grandfather and found several electronic items hidden in a 5th-wheel camper trailer.
A 64-inch Mitsubishi television, Acer laptop, JVC home theater system with five speakers, HP computer and a Dell computer were recovered as possibly the items taken during the Road 11 theft.
A large amount of stolen property was recovered, but not all of the property, Sheriff Ken Blackburn said. Guns reported stolen had not been recovered at the time of publication, which is disconcerting, he said.
During the searches, additional information and evidence was recovered from other past crimes, according to Blackburn, including a dirt bike reported stolen from the Lovell area several weeks ago. The motorcycle was transferred to the Lovell Police Department and the case is being investigated with additional charges pending.
Following the searches, the two suspects were arrested after a deputy witnessed them driving southbound on Hwy. 310 from Lovell to Greybull and made a traffic stop.
Preliminary hearings are scheduled for Friday, July 24, in the Fifth Judicial Circuit Court in the courthouse in Basin.
Blackburn said the investigation is ongoing and he appreciates the cooperation of several area law enforcement agencies and the help of the many citizens who called with information about suspicious acts witnessed surrounding the burglaries.
“They weren’t interested in reward money, they just wanted their community back,” Blackburn said.
He reiterated the need for residents to secure their homes to avoid home invasion.

Editor’s note:
Brad Devereaux contributed to this story.