Two people arrested for alleged home invasion

Two of three people wanted in connection with an alleged home invasion last week near Bunker Hill were arrested Saturday on outstanding warrants.

Both Matthew Wayne Lange Jr., 22, of Martinsburg, and Autumn T. Blaine, 36, of Phillips Lane, Bunker Hill, were charged with first-degree robbery. Blaine also was arraigned on charges of forgery and uttering, as well as three counts of possession of a controlled substance.

According to court records, at about 11:12 p.m. Oct. 24, Berkeley County Sheriff's Deputy M. Stewart was dispatched to a report of a home invasion on Sam Mason Road.

When he arrived, he spoke to the complainants and the victim. One of the residents of the home said that she was sitting in the living room when three individuals walked inside without knocking. The woman told police she knew two of the subjects, Blaine and Lange, who walked in, records show.

The witness said that the two individuals had large silver flashlights when they entered the residence. A third individual was carrying a large digging tool with a wooden handle. The witness told police they walked to a back bedroom before leaving a few minutes later, records show.

Stewart spoke with another resident, who also was in the living room and observed Blaine, Lange and the third individual enter the home without knocking.

Stewart spoke with the alleged victim, who said that he was asleep when the three subjects were there and that he didn't see any of the individuals. He said that one of the residents of the home woke him up and told him what happened. He said that he looked around and observed clothes from a dresser laying all over the floor. The man said he looked in the drawer and noticed that his wallet, containing $1,000, was missing, records show.

Police then went to Blaine's residence but found no one there. They later located her at her boyfriend's home. They found her inside a bathroom holding a spoon with a light brownish substance on it. Lange and another woman holding a hypodermic needle also were found in the bathroom, records show.

In the living room of the residence, police found a large silver flashlight on a couch. All of the suspects denied knowing anything about the home invasion and avoided answering any of Stewart's questions. Stewart later found an open bag containing marijuana, heroin and several Xanax pills in the bathroom.

Police also found a digging tool with a wooden handle on a seat inside Blaine's vehicle.

As of Monday, both Lange and Blaine remained in custody at Eastern Regional Jail. If convicted of first-degree robbery, they face no less than 10 years in prison.