Newton Citizen

COVINGTON - A Newton County Sheriff's Office deputy surprised two burglars armed with a shotgun Monday afternoon, but he was uninjured and the pair were subsequently arrested, according to NCSO spokesman Lt. Mark Mitchell.

A call came in from a neighbor reporting suspicious persons in the area of Arthur's Court in the old Covered Bridge subdivision off Bethany Road around 1:20 p.m., Mitchell said.

"When deputies arrived, they made contact with the complainant who had called and were told the suspicious subjects were in the rear of a residence located off Ithua Court," Mitchell said. "The responding deputy went around behind the residence that was pointed out to him, and as soon as he went behind the residence, he noticed there had been forced entry into a window of that residence."

Mitchell said about the same time the deputy noted the broken window, two teens exited through the window. One was armed with a shotgun which was brandished at the deputy, he said.

The two ran, and after a short foot chase, Mitchell said, one of the suspects was apprehended. A short time later criminal investigators arrived at the scene and were able to ascertain the name and location of the second suspect, who was shortly arrested as well.

The two suspects are 16 years old. Their names are being withheld as they are juveniles. Both are facing charges of burglary and obstruction of a law enforcement officer, and the young man who was armed with the shotgun is also facing aggravated assault charges.

Mitchell said the shotgun was stolen from the burglarized residence.

"The extent of the burglary is still under investigation, and it's also being investigated to see if they are suspects in any other robberies," Mitchell said.

Barbara Knowles can be reached at barbara.knowles@newtoncitizen.com.