MANSFIELD – The Richland County Sheriff’s Office is searching for two suspects involved in an armed, aggravated burglary on Wednesday evening.
Mansfield resident John Perry, 57, and his two sons Dylan, 20, and Damian, 23, were held at gunpoint at their home at 1428 N. Stewart Road as two unidentified subjects stole medication, cash and an iPhone. The combined value of the items totaled approximately $449.
According to a report from the Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to respond to an aggravated burglary in progress at approximately 10:13 p.m. on Wednesday evening.
One of the victims, John Perry, explained he was asleep on his couch in the living room when he heard noises coming from inside the adjacent kitchen area. He got up to investigate and observed two males in the kitchen opening and closing multiple cabinets.
The first suspect was a black male wearing a full sweatsuit that was all red in color. He was wearing tennis shoes, a mask on his face, and had a bald head. His skin was described as light brown, and he stood approximately 5 feet, 9 inches tall with a slender build.
The second suspect was a black male wearing tennis shoes, gray sweatsuit pants and a dark sweatshirt top. He had a black hat on his head and was not wearing a mask. His face was described as clean-shaven and round, and he is described as being a thicker build.
Both suspects appeared to be young males, roughly 17 years old, according to Perry. The suspect in red held him at gunpoint with a small black handgun, while the other suspect continued searching the kitchen cabinets. The suspect in gray took a prescription bottle containing roughly 40 Percocet pills.
Perry stated the suspect in red said he would shoot if he didn’t comply to their demands.
At that point, Perry’s son Dylan entered the kitchen. The suspect in red turned to Dylan and forced him to show where his bedroom was. While in the bedroom, Dylan stated the suspect in red took $189 off his night table and a silver iPhone 6 from the same table.
After Dylan and the suspect in red returned from the bedroom, both suspects left the residence through the garage. Perry believes the suspects got into a vehicle and fled the scene because he heard car doors closing, but no description of the vehicle or direction of travel was obtained.
Perry stated he believes both suspects entered the residence through the unlocked doors from the garage into the kitchen area. No signs of forced entry were observed.
Dylan stated he had previously spoken to a subject at his residence before the burglary happened about obtaining a firearm. While the subject was at the residence, Dylan stated he could have possibly observed Dylan pull money out of his pocket. Dylan believed this subject had something to do with the burglary.
According to Maj. Joe Masi, anyone with information regarding the burglary is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 419-774-5881.
