Walkerton officer stops burglary in progress

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. -- A Walkerton Police officer stopped a burglary in progress while on patrol Tuesday morning. Three people were arrested and are facing burglary and theft charges.

On April 16, a Walkerton Police officer was in his vehicle, hidden from view, around 6:45 a.m. when he heard an overhead door open at a storage facility across from his location.

He saw a silver vehicle in the parking lot and three people enter a storage unit, take items from the unit and put them in the car, according to the probable cause affidavit.

The subjects were "frantically" loading the items as quickly as possible, according to reports.

While investigating, the officer ran the plate and discovered it did not match the vehicle.

When the officer spoke with the three suspects, he asked what they were doing at the storage unit.

Nicole Fredrick said she was helping Michael Burmeister II get items from his grandmother's storage unit.

Burmeister told police he was helping Fredrick gather items from her grandmother's storage unit.

The third subject, Kathleen Pierce, said she didn't know whose unit it was but was helping them gather Easter items.

None of the items removed from the storage unit was Easter related, police said.

When asked about the owner of the vehicle, the suspects said they borrowed it from "Samantha" but didn't know her last name, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Police contacted the owner of the storage unit. She said she did not know the suspects and did not give them permission to remove items from her unit.

While taking Burmeister into custody, police found a cigarette that field tested positive for marijuana inside a pack of cigarettes, reports said. They also found a baggy with methamphetamine in a pouch inside the vehicle where Burmeister had been seated, reports said.

While taking Fredrick into custody, officers found a baggy with methamphetamine and a baggy with marijuana in her backpack, reports said.

Burmeister, 28, has been charged with burglary, theft, possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana and false informing.

Pierce, 41, has been charged with burglary and theft.

Fredrick, 33, has been charged with burglary, theft, possession of meth, possession of marijuana, and driving while suspended.