BUCKHANNON – Two Ellamore women were arrested for allegedly taking several items without permission and selling them to an antique store.
Mackenzie Clem, 26, of Ellamore, and Monica Leigh, 32, of Ellamore, were arrested Monday for burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary, both felonies.
According to the criminal complaint in the Upshur County Magistrate Clerk’s Office, on June 21, 2022, Clem and Leigh went to the Buckhannon Antique Mall located on Clarksburg Road and sold three Crown Stone jars, an old radio, three pieces of cast iron, an eggbeater and a nutmeg grater for a $120 check and $25 in cash. Three days later, Leigh allegedly went back to the Buckhannon Antique Mall and sold a wood box, a wood crate, a milk can, a bathtub on stove legs and a pail for $25 in cash.
The owner of the Buckhannon Antique Mall had both Clem and Leigh fill out a buyer and seller agreement when they sold the items, the complaint states.
Deputy T.R. Collins with the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office met with Clem’s grandmother about the items.
“I met with [the victim], who told me she went home and found stuff missing from inside her residence,” Collins wrote in the complaint. “On or about June 27, 2022, [the victim] learned about the location of the stolen items. [She] went to Buckhannon Antique Mall and purchased her items back.”
The grandmother told the officer that she did not give Clem or Leigh permission to enter her residence and remove anything, according to the complaint.
“Mrs. Clem was interviewed on July 14, 2022, where she admitted that Ms. Leigh had already entered her grandmother’s residence and was actively looking through stuff,” Collins wrote. “Mrs. Clem then admitted to going upstairs and getting the three Crown Stone Jars and taking them to Ms. Leigh’s vehicle. Mrs. Clem then said she made a deal with Ms. Leigh to drive her to the Antique Mall for a sum of money. Mrs. Clem also stated she had known Ms. Leigh had entered the residence through a window.”
Bail was set at $25,000 cash or surety by Upshur County Magistrate Mark Davis.
The potential penalty for burglary is confinement in a state correctional facility for not less than one nor more than 15 years. The potential penalty for conspiracy to commit burglary is confinement in the penitentiary for not less than one nor more than five years, a fine not more than $10,000, or both.
