Austintown police arrest homeless couple for burglaries

AUSTINTOWN — Austintown police have charged a homeless couple after they admitted to committing multiple burglaries in the community.

Amanda Newcomer, 19, originally of Austintown and her boyfriend Kevin Smith, 25, who was last living in Niles will be arraigned today at 1 p.m. for the charges. Newcomer is charged with one count of burglary and four counts of complicity of burglary and Smith is charged with five counts of burglary.

The robberies started police believe possibly on Aug. 14 after the couple allegedly broke into the house on Cannon Road and stole $300-$400, according to police. The resident reported the money missing on Aug. 18. The burglars made entry to the house through an unlocked front window, according to a police report.

On Aug. 16 between 6:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. the couple allegedly broke into a home on Acton Avenue and stole a GPS, a Samsung Notepad and a lottery tree basket, according to police. Again, an open window allowed the burglars to get in.

On Aug. 17 at noon, a woman woke up to a younger man in her hallway of her Claridge Drive home, according to police. When she asked the man what he was doing, he said he was looking for her son, according to police. The woman did not have a son, so thinking the man was confused she escorted him out of her house, according to police.

On Aug. 17 between 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., the couple also allegedly broke into a home on Starwick Drive and stole a laptop, a gym bag and an iPad. Once again the thieves broke in through the rear window, according to a police report.

On Aug. 18 at 11:30 a.m. a man came home and heard a noise from the rear of his Cumberland Drive house, according to police. He then saw a younger man running from the house. The victim of the robbery found the screen of in his bathroom was broken out, according to police. The man found $380 stolen.

Through witness encounters with the duo, police thought of Smith and Newcomer as suspects. The police have dealt with them in the past. The couple admitted they committed the robberies after they were found at the Westgate Motel on Mahoning Avenue. Police are still investigated what happened to the stolen items.

The couple is being held in the Mahoning County Jail.