Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era

Spree

Couple charged in theft spree in

A Coatesville couple has been charged in a string of burglaries over the weekend in West Lampeter Township.

Kyrsten Buehler, 19, was charged by West Lampeter police Monday with conspiracy to commit burglary and carrying a handgun without a license.

Paul Linderman, no age given, was arrested by Coatesville police Monday night after a foot pursuit.

According to West Lampeter police, two burglaries were reported early Monday in the vicinity of Musser and Hayes avenues.

Around 4:43 a.m., Officer Melissa Ransing was dispatched to the area of Roslyn and Conestoga avenues, where she found Buehler sleeping in a parked car.

At first, police said, Buehler told the officer that she was lost and had gotten tired before she pulled over to sleep.

Then, police said, Buehler changed her story, saying she had driven her boyfriend to visit a friend, but Buehler couldn't identify the friend or say where that person lived.

As Ransing was speaking to Buehler, the officer started receiving calls about burglaries in progress in the neighborhoods around her.

The officer was having difficulty verifying Buehler's name and address, so she searched Buehler, finding a .25-caliber automatic pistol in Buehler's possession. The handgun is registered to a Philadelphia man, police said.

Buehler was taken to the West Lampeter police headquarters and questioned, police said. She told police that she and her live-in boyfriend, Linderman, had gone to West Lampeter that night so Linderman could break into houses, police said.

Buehler told police she and Linderman had done the same thing, in the same area, Friday night into Saturday morning.

According to police, no less than seven burglaries were reported over the weekend in West Lampeter, plus two more in southern Lancaster County.

Buehler said the two committed the crimes to fuel their drug addictions, police said.

Officers searched for Linderman in the area where the burglaries were committed early Monday but were unable to find him.

In one of those burglaries, a resident of the 100 block of Musser Avenue told police that his car had been stolen, along with a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun that was in the vehicle.

West Lampeter police said the car was found Monday in West Whiteland Township, outside Coatesville.

Coatesville police, who also wanted to speak to Linderman and Buehler about burglaries committed in Chester County, went looking for Linderman Monday night.

When they found him, West Lampeter police reported, a foot pursuit ensued, during which Linderman tossed the stolen .38-caliber handgun. Police recovered it.

Buehler was sent to Lancaster County Prison in lieu of $250,000 bail.

Linderman was taken to Chester County Prison.

preilly@lnpnews.com

Continued from 1