HANCOCK COUNTY — A New Palestine man has been accused of stealing a television set, speakers, a heater, tools and a cell phone then pawning them to get money, officials said.
David Coggins, 38, 1000 block of South County Road 400W, New Palestine, has been charged with a Level 4 felony count of burglary of a dwelling and a Level 5 felony count of burglary. The charges stem from several incidents in November and December.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Coggins was picked up on a warrant on a narcotics charge in Hamilton County in early December 2019. That’s where Hancock County Sheriff’s officials caught up with him and were able to interview Coggins about the crimes he had been accused of in Hancock County.
Law enforcement had reports of multiple burglaries from late November to early December 2019 and told Coggins they had recovered several articles from those burglaries at pawn shops where he had been identified as the person who sold them, the affidavit said.
Coggins admitted to taking tools from a neighbor’s outbuilding and pawning them, he told police. Coggins also confessed to a burglary in the 5700 block of West County Road 100N, where he went through an unlocked door in a garage and made his way into a home and took a television set, the affidavit said.
Officials were able to track Coggins due to a theft in late November during which a cell phone had been stolen. It eventually was tracked to 1000 block of South County Road 400W, where Coggins lives.
The defendant’s father told police his son had a history of theft due to a drug addiction, the affidavit said.
Coggins made his initial appearance in Hancock County Circuit Court via video Friday, March 27 with Judge Scott Sirk, who set a $10,000 cash bond.
Coggins was still listed as an inmate in the county jail as of Thursday afternoon, April 2. Coggins is set for a pretrial conference Thursday, June 4.
