A 20-year-old man who allegedly broke into a home on SR 73 Friday morning, wrestled a gun from the homeowner, pointed the gun at motorists, stole a quad runner vehicle from another residence, and then barricaded himself in a relative’s home was arrested after the Special Response Team served a warrant and found him hiding in the attic.
According to a press release from Highland County Sheriff Donnie Barrera and additional information gathered by The Times-Gazette, the Highland County Sheriff’s Office received a call from the 5000 block of SR 73.
The couple at the residence advised that a male subject, later identified as Elijah Cox-Burkard, 20, had entered their home and had forcibly taken a long gun from the one of the homeowner’s grasp. Cox-Burkard then left the residence.
Cox-Burkard reportedly walked toward Pigeon Roost Road. At approximately 7:17 a.m., the sheriff’s office received a call from a person driving across Pigeon Roost Road. The caller advised that a male subject was walking on the roadway and pointed a gun at him. The caller stayed in the area until sheriff’s deputies arrived at the scene. The male subject was not located at that time, according to the press release.
The Hillsboro Police Department and their K-9 unit were called to the scene, along with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, to assist in searching for the suspect. The Paint Creek Joint Fire and EMS department assisted at the scene, according to Barrera.
At approximately 8:05 a.m., a person on SR 124 called the sheriff’s office and advised that someone had just stolen his UTV from his garage. Sheriff’s deputies and officers of the Hillsboro Police Department arrived at the residence and met with the homeowner. The homeowner had a photograph of the male subject and the subject was identified.
Sheriff’s deputies and officers of the Hillsboro Police Department located the stolen UTV at a relative’s residence in the 8000 block of SR 124. Deputies attempted to make contact with the subject inside the home, but the subject would not respond.
Detectives from the sheriff’s office then got a search warrant for the home. Once the warrant was obtained, the Special Response Team was called to the scene to execute the warrant. Once entry was made into the residence, Cox-Burkard was found hiding inside the attic of the home, according to Barrera. Cox-Burkard was taken into custody without incident, according to the press release.
Barrera said charges are pending and the case remains under investigation.
