Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Police Arrest Second Suspect in Home-Invasion Burglary in Richland

Latest arrest comes hours after Northern Regional Police officers arrest a 17-year-old at a home on Sandy Hill Road.

UPDATE: Northern Regional Police arrested a second suspect about 7:15 p.m. Monday in a home-invasion burglary in Richland Township.

Leo Nealon, 18, turned himself in at his Middlesex Township home after police contacted and spoke with him by cell phone, Northern Regional Police Chief T. Robert Amann said. 

He is charged with burglary, Amann said.

Find out what's happening in Pine-Richlandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Police arrested a 17-year-old earlier Monday afternoon at a home on Sandy Hill Road in northeastern Richland Township.

Northern Regional police were called to the home about 3:45 p.m. by a 17-year-old resident who was home alone when he heard someone trying to break into the home, Amann said.

Find out what's happening in Pine-Richlandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The teen called police after he fled out the back door and into the woods, staying on the phone to keep police updated, the chief said.

When police arrived at the home at 3661 Sandy Hill Road, they captured one of the suspects coming out the back door, Amann said. The other fled into the woods, setting off a search that included officers from Middlesex Township in Butler County, West Deer, Indiana Township, McCandless and Pennsylvania State Police.

Officers also brought in a canine unit to assist them in the rural wooded neighborhood that is close to the intersection of Middlesex Township in Butler County, West Deer and Richland townships.

Amann said the teen who lives in the house told police he was home alone after returning from school Monday afternoon. That teen, who has not been identified, told police he heard someone trying to break into his home, first through a side door and later by kicking or using a baseball bat to break through the front door, Amann said.

"Someone busted through the front door," Amann said. 

The burglars apparently were looking for electronic items to steal but did not take anything from the house, the chief said. Investigators haven't determined why the two suspects targeted the home on Sandy Hill Road or the relationship with the home's residents, he added.

No one was injured. 

At one point, police were looking for a dark, metallic-blue four-door Hyundai Sonata bearing Pennsylvania license plate HYK3845.

"We believe our suspect is in this car," Amann said at the time.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Pine-Richland