Two Elmira men were arrested early Thursday morning after troopers interrupted a burglary in progress in the town of Chemung.
New York State Police say they were on routine patrol just after midnight on November 20 when they spotted a suspicious pickup truck parked outside a property on County Route 60. After confirming with the property owner that no one had permission to be there, troopers and deputies moved in to investigate.
Inside the building, they found two men actively cutting copper piping from the ceiling. The suspects, identified as 30-year-old Alexander J. Root and 26-year-old Austin M. Smith-Halpin, were taken into custody without incident.
Additional units from the Chemung County Sheriff’s Office, Elmira Heights Police, and Waverly Police searched the building for other suspects but found none. The two men were processed at SP Horseheads and each charged with burglary in the third degree, a class D felony.
Root and Smith-Halpin were arraigned in the Town of Chemung Court and released on their own recognizance. They are scheduled to appear again on December 17 at 4 p.m.
Police say the investigation is ongoing.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected].