COLUMBIA, Pa. —Police in Lancaster County say 2 residents came home to their rear door kicked in, and multiple items stolen from their home.
The burglary happened Friday afternoon along the first block of Bethel Street in Columbia, Lancaster County.
Police discovered 4 guns were stolen from the home along with several video games, a video game controller, and an iPad.
The residents told police that they left their home around 7:45 a.m. that day and they did see two suspicious looking males standing on the sidewalk in front of their house.
Around that same time, an officer on patrol saw the two males in the area, who police later identified as Terrence Simms, 18, of Columbia, and Israel Margarito, 21, of Marietta.
Officers went to Simms house that evening and he admitted that he and Margarito burglarized the house on Bethel St. He also admitted to kicking in the door of the house.
Simms told police that he and Margarito took a bus to Lancaster and sold the guns to someone on the street.
Several items from the burglary were recovered at Simms’ house.
A couple of hours later, Columbia and West Hempfield police officers found Margarito hiding in a closet at a house along the 300 block of North Third Street.
Police found one of the four stolen firearms at the house.
Margarito and Simms are charged with burglary, criminal conspiracy to commit burglary and theft by unlawful taking or disposition.
At this time, there are three firearms missing from the burglary.
If you have any information on this event, contact the Columbia Borough Police at 717-684-7735.
