Pair face charges for failed attempt to steal Christmas presents

LIBERTY — Bond was set at $25,000 for the two suspects who admitted to police they attempted to rob pieces of jewelry from a woman because they wanted to use them as Christmas gifts.

Daquan Owens, 19, of Youngstown, and Da Juan Moore, 19, of Akron, were charged with attempted burglary and possession of criminal tools, according to court records.

Monday morning, the pair took bicycles from a person’s house to use as transportation, and went to a Pinehurst Circle home where Owens told police he used to live with the victim, according to a police report.

The pair rang the doorbell to see if the victim was home, and when they heard no answer, they walked to the back and opened an unlocked window. The woman had called police as they were opening the window, the report said.

Then, as the suspects were making entry, they saw police in the area and fled to the woods, the report said.

Police caught up with the suspects when they got a call from the Speedway gas station about suspects that matched the description of the people they were looking for. They looked through the subjects’ phones and found Facebook messages about the planned burglary, the report said.

Police searched their backpacks and found jackets, a flashlight and a broken claw.

The woman reported nothing was missing from her home, the report said.

Owens told police he figured the woman would be at holiday church services and he was familiar with the layout of the house. Both men told police they wanted to take jewelry to give as Christmas presents.

The man are scheduled to appear in court Jan. 2.