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BOARDMAN -- A man charged in a 2024 burglary will make his first appearance before the court today.
James M. Lilly, 34, of Uhrichsville will stand before Mahoning County Boardman Court Judge Joseph Houser. Lilly is charged with one count of grand theft -- a fourth-degree felony, and two counts each of felony theft and breaking and entering -- fifth-degree felonies.
A Boardman police report states that Lilly was arrested in January after a roughly 16-monthlong investigation into an August 2024 burglary at a Boardman car dealership. Online court records, however, show that Houser issued a warrant for Lilly's arrest late last week. The timing discrepancy is still unclear.
The police report states that on Aug. 8, 2024, the owner of Newport Auto Group on Market Street, told police that someone entered through an interior door between the dealership's garage and the business section of the building.
Police observed no signs of forced entry but the business had been ransacked, with numerous items and a vehicle stolen. Among the missing items were cash, vehicle titles, a Lincoln welder valued at $4,000 and other tools, and a Ford F-150 work truck.
The report states the board containing the keys to all the vehicles on the lot also was stolen, valued at $10,000. The thieves took some personal papers and business loan paperwork from a desk. A wall vent was removed, a wall clock disassembled, and the thieves even helped themselves to some White House Fruit Farm doughnuts left inside the dealership.
The report also states that the thief or thieves cut the telephone wires on the outside of the building, which disabled the business's internet connection. A motorcycle parked outside the building apparently was moved to allow access through the garage entrance.
The same day the burglary was reported, Boardman police were notified that the truck had been recovered in Canton, abandoned at a used-car and mechanic business. The report states that investigators found several pieces of evidence in the recovered truck, including blood and fingerprints.
The report states that police returned to Newport after the business determined that more property had been stolen, including four 30-inch tires with black wheels, valued at roughly $4,000, and additional vehicle parts.
The report does not specify exactly how police came to identify Lilly as the suspect. The report states that the owner and another person both suggested likely suspects to police, but could not seem to agree.
But on Jan. 20, police showed up at a home in Carroll County to arrest Lilly on a Boardman warrant. It states that Lilly was arrested, transported to the Mahoning County jail, and booked.
The original report also lists lesser charges including vandalism and other petty larceny but those are not reflected in the online court records.