MISSOULA – Two men suspected of committing a string of burglaries in Lake County were arrested in Missoula and charged with breaking into the home of a Missoula police officer.
Lake County officials had obtained a warrant to put a GPS tracking device in the pickup truck the men were driving as they investigated the burglaries.
On Thursday, a Lake County detective called Missoula County authorities to tell them the men had stopped at several locations in the Missoula area and he was concerned they were either casing houses or committing burglaries.
Deputies found the men, 19-year-old John Morton and 20-year-old Cote Wheeler, in a truck that also contained two loaded handguns, some jewelry and two knives. Court records say the door of the police officer’s home had been kicked in and similar items had been taken.
Both men were charged with felony theft and burglary and were jailed on $100,000 bail.