COLERAIN – A trio came home to find their house being burglarized here in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

According to Bertie County Sheriff John Holley, the victims returned home shortly after 3:30 a.m. to find their screen door locked and the door to the home open, which was not how they had left the house.

“They went to the back of the home and heard someone inside so they wisely called the sheriff’s office,” Sheriff Holley said.

Deputies K. Cobb and D. Little arrived and tried to enter the home. After receiving permission from the home owners, they forcibly gained entry into the home, but did not find anyone inside.

Following an investigation of the crime scene, deputies found a book bag and a coat that were left in the living room, but did not belong to the family.

Information from the investigation led the officers to David Chamblee, 18, of Meadow Road in Colerain. A relative confirmed the book bag belonged to the suspect and he was also found to be in possession of DVDs that were believed to have been stolen from the scene.

Officers also recovered credit cards and DVDs that belonged to the victims in what was identified as the suspect’s book bag.

Chamblee was arrested and charged with breaking and entering and larceny and placed in the Bertie-Martin Regional Jail under a $5,000 secured bond.

“I want to commend these officers for doing a good job on this case,” Sheriff Holley said. “Their diligent work led to a quick arrest.”