Two arrested as a result of home invasion

Published 7:00 am Tuesday, August 18, 2015

The Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department responded to a home invasion last week, which led to the arrests of two male subjects.

On Aug. 11, a homeowner in Picayune called the department at 3 p.m. alleging a male subject, later identified as 24-year-old Brandon L. Schiro of 235 Morgan Seal Rd., robbed his home located at the 40th block of Koch Road, Chief Deputy Shane Tucker said.

The homeowner alleged that two male subjects, Schiro and 27-year-old Jonathan Champagne of 62 East Ridge Dr., Carriere, passed by his home earlier in the day requesting to borrow gas. The homeowner obliged by giving them a can full of gas. Once the exchange was done, the two male subjects left and the homeowner went next door to visit his other residence, Tucker said.

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When the homeowner came back to his primary home, he allegedly found Schiro gathering up guns in his bedroom, which led to a physical altercation between the two, Tucker said.

Schiro fled into a vehicle with the stolen guns—including three shotguns and a pistol—after pushing the homeowner down the front door step, Tucker said.

Between 5 and 6 p.m., deputies received word that both male subjects were at Schiro’s residence. On the way to the residence, a deputy noticed a blue Mercury Grand Marquis with a flat tire and no tag driving near the home. Deputies identified the driver as Champagne, who was taken into custody for driving a vehicle without a tag, Tucker said.

Deputies found Schiro soon after attempting to hide in a pond surrounded by a wooded area near the home. After Schiro refused to comply with deputies’ requests, they went in and arrested him, Tucker said.

Schiro was charged with residential burglary of an occupied dwelling, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and four counts of possession of a stolen weapon, which were recovered by deputies. His bond is set at $45,000, Tucker said.

The department is investigating whether Champagne was involved in this residential burglary. Champagne was charged with no tag and felony possession of a firearm. His bond is set at $5,500, Tucker said.