JACKSON — Items that were stolen during a residential burglary have been recovered, and three men allegedly responsible for the crime were charged.
Jackson Police Lt. Steven Laskiewicz said investigators had been searching for leads since a March 29 burglary at a home on Vath Street.
Police said the residents reported that items totaling more than $600 were taken from an unlocked carport and from an unlocked vehicle in the carport. The stolen items included tools and construction equipment.
Following the report of the theft, police learned that an unknown individual was attempting to sell the stolen property through a website.
Laskiewicz said detectives were able to use information from the website to pinpoint where the items were being held. Officers were eventually able to locate the stolen property and return it to the owner.
In addition to the items that had been stolen from the Vath Street home, detectives located lawn equipment valued at more than $700 that had not been reported stolen at the time it was located. That property was returned to its owners, police said.
An ATM debit card that police said was taken from a vehicle that had been left at an auto body shop was also recovered at the location.
Police said they were able to identify a suspect in the Vath Street burglary and obtain an arrest warrant.
Further investigation led police to identify two other individuals who were allegedly involved in the burglary and the subsequent attempt to sell the property.
By April 2, Ian Ashford, 26, Michael Seuser, 19, and Jacob Ketcham, 24, all of Jackson, were taken into police custody.
Ashford was charged with receiving stolen property and possession of a hypodermic needle. Bail for Ashford was set at $25,000.
Laskiewicz said Ashford had additional charges pending with Ocean County as a result of other incidents that were uncovered during the investigation.
Police said Seuser was charged with receiving stolen property, possession of a controlled dangerous substance and possession of a hypodermic needle. Bail for Seuser was set at $15,000.
Ketcham was charged with burglary, theft and conspiracy to commit theft. Bail for Ketcham was set at $15,000.