(Cass County, ND) -- After hours of searching, tips from nearby citizens helped the Cass County Sheriff's Office catch a pair of burglary suspects.
Around 5:30PM on Monday, a citizen aware of the law enforcement search in the rural Argusville cornfield from earlier in the day, called in a tip of a suspicious male at the intersection of County Road 34 and County Road 81.
Cass County Deputies responded to this intersection and arrested 27-year-old Joshua Charles Mommsen. Then, twenty minutes later, law enforcement received a second citizen tip, this time the caller said a suspicious female was walking through a farmyard. Within minutes, deputies responded, setup a perimeter, and were able to locate and arrest 51-year-old Joellen Teresa Hanson.
Due to the days heat, deputies had Hanson and Mommsen seen by FM Ambulance, prior to being taken to the Cass County Jail.
"The Cass County Sheriff’s Office credits the Cass/Clay Alert System and the partnership with our citizens, for helping to locate and apprehend Mommsen and Hanson," said Sheriff Jesse Jahner in a statement released to WDAY Radio.
Calls originally came in around around 8:00AM for a possible burglary in progress near MM 82 in rural Argusville. After a previous burglary attempt at this same residence, the landowner asked relatives to watch the property.
That's when, after noticing a vehicle that shouldn’t be on the property, people watching the property called dispatch to alert law enforcement.
Prior to deputies arriving, the caller’s drove over to the property where then Hanson and Mommsen rammed their vehicle while attempting to flee. After getting stuck in a ditch, they got out and fled into a nearby cornfield.
Deputies set up a perimeter around it, and used a drone, K9 and even plane overhead to try and locate the suspects.
The Cass County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the North Dakota Highway Patrol, West Fargo Police Department, FM Ambulance, and Hunter Ambulance.
This case remains under investigation