Mason Wallace, 18, and a 17 year old alleged accomplice have been arrested after being linked to a series of burglaries in Star Valley. The arrests were made in the early morning hours of Dec. 19.  “A suspicious vehicle call led to the arrest of two local teenagers,” said Lincoln County Sheriff Shane Johnson. “The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and the Wyoming Highway Patrol responded to the Etna area after a resident reported that there were people trespassing on his property on two occasions. The reporting party [stated] that he had fired a warning shot from a shotgun and the suspects fled the area.”  According to information provided by the Sheriff’s Office, a short time later “a traffic stop was made on a vehicle matching the description provided by the reporting party.”  During the stop, officers allegedly found “drugs, drug paraphernalia, cash and what was believe to be burglar tools.”

“As a result of the ensuing investigation by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, it was discovered that three Etna businesses had been burglarized during the evening of Dec. 18 and early morning hours of Dec. 19,” said Johnson. “Officers notified the owners that [their businesses] had been broken into. Money and other property were found to be missing.”

According to information provided by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, all of the missing money and property “were recovered during the execution of a search warrant later that day.”

Wallace had been charged with burglary and his bond was set at $30,000. The juvenile believed to be involved in the incidents was released to his parents, pending his initial court appearance.

According to information provided by the Alpine Police Department, the two teens are also being investigated with regards to a series of burglaries in Alpine.

“Over the past four weeks the Town of Alpine has been hit by several commercial burglaries,” said Alpine Police Chief Phillips. “Several thousand dollars in damages were done to the targeted businesses and an undisclosed amount of cash and goods was stolen by the thieves.”
According to Phillips, the investigation into the burglaries is ongoing. Anyone with information regarding these cases is asked to contact the Alpine Police Department at 654-7455 or alpinepd@silverstar.com, or call the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office at 885-5231.