(Estherville)– An investigation into suspicious activity at a farmstead in rural Emmet county has resulted in two arrests. The Sheriff’s Office says deputies responded to the scene northeast of Armstrong a little after 8:00 am March 3rd after getting a report of a person in a farm yard and the owner was out of town. A deputy searched the area and spotted a man running through a field. The deputy drove through the field and a foot chase ensued. The deputy eventually made contact with the suspect and discovered the vehicle he had been in was stolen from a family member of the property owner. Additional officers arrived and searched for additional suspects. It was also determined that the house had been broken into and that numerous items were missing. A K-9 assisted officers in clearing the residence.
52-year-old Todd Larue of Dumont, Iowa was arrested and charged with two counts of burglary in the 3rd degree, one count of possession of stolen property and one count of providing false identification information. He was also wanted on warrants from Clay and Franklin counties and was booked into jail.
A further investigation resulted in deputies locating a vehicle suspected of being involved in the incident at a residence in Armstrong. Authorities secured that location and obtained and executed a search warrant on it, resulting in them finding numerous items that had been stolen from the farmstead as well as from a burglary in Kossuth county.
46-year-old Curtis Lappegard of Armstrong was arrested and charged with two counts of burglary in the 3rd degree and one count of possession of stolen property.
Authorities say the case remains under investigation.
