(WWJ) A pair of young suspects arrested for a break-in at an Oakland County gun shop were caught because of what they posted on social media.
The Oakland County Sheriff's Office says 18-year old Dylan Hinkle and 19-year old Emanuel Northern, both of Grand Rapids, were charged with breaking and entering with intent to commit larceny after throwing a concrete block through a window at Huron Valley Guns in Lyon Township last week.
Sheriff's officials said the pair — described by authorities as "suspected gang members" — tried to enter the store showroom. They were unable to break the entry door window, however, and gave up, and left without any guns.
The same suspects, however, were also wanted for breaking in and stealing around $1,000 worth of laser-equipped pistols from Tactical Advantage Guns in Portage, near Kalamazoo.
A Kent County Sheriff's analyst, who had been in contact with Portage police, later discovered a video of the suspects posing with the stolen guns on Facebook, officials said.
Grand Rapids Police and a U.S. Marshal's task force then began watching one of the suspect's homes. On Sept. 23, a search warrant was executed, and two of the three suspects were found in the house. The third suspect has not been caught.
Both Hinkle and Northern being held on $50,000 bond in the Kent County Jail on a federal charge of conducting a criminal enterprise.
Detectives believe the suspects had identified buyers for the stolen weapons.
"Clearly, these individuals engaged in a criminal enterprise of breaking into gun stores and selling them into the criminal underworld," Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. "Without question, I believe these guns ultimately would have been involved in numerous other crimes and possibly homicide. Great cooperative police work with the agencies involved in taking these dangerous criminals off the street."
The sheriff's office said additional charges are also possible as the investigation continues.
