Parents Turn Their Children In For Alleged Involvement In Home Invasion
WEST MIFFLIN (KDKA) -- Police say two men were arrested in an alleged West Mifflin home invasion.
According to a criminal complaint, West Mifflin police say Richard Engle, 28, and Tristen Hornfeck, 24, have both been charged with one count of burglary, one count of aggravated assault, one count of robbery, one count of theft by unlawful taking, one count of criminal mischief and one count of conspiracy to rob and inflict serious bodily injury. Hornfeck is facing two additional counts of prohibited acts.
Police say the victim claims he was inside his residence on the 1900 block of Anna Avenue on March 4 when he heard a loud bang from his kitchen and was attacked by two men. The victim says one of the men put a gun in his face, so he grabbed it and pushed it towards the ceiling.
The victim says the other suspect then hit him in the head demanding to know where he kept his money and his gun. Police say the victim claims the suspects grabbed his gun, around $500-1,000, a half of a pound of marijuana, four to five ounces cocaine and a Playstation 4 set, and fled from the residence through the side door.
The victim told West Mifflin Police the one man had been giving the other directions as though he was familiar with the layout of the house, and the victim recognized the man's voice as that of his friend's, Richard Engle. Surveillance footage showed police that the home invasion and robbery happened in less than five minutes.
The victim was taken to UPMC McKeesport to be treated for head wounds from the altercation. He was able to tell police that he and Engle had been friends for over 10 years and that he was "shocked" Engle had allegedly been one of the men responsible.
Police say they secured a warrant to search Engle's mother's house, where they found the victim's gun and spoke with Engle's mother. According to the complaint, she told police Engle had been acting strangely that day, and she suspected he was involved in the home invasion when she heard about it. He did not answer calls or texts she sent initially, and, when he did, he would not respond or outright deny he had been one of the home invaders.
According to the criminal complaint, she told police she and her husband confronted Engle when he tried staying at their house on March 5 and said that Engle admitted to being part of the home invasion. The suspect's mother insisted he could not stay there and drove him to a hotel. Police say they found the victim's gun had been left behind under a couch cushion and moved it to the china cabinet.
Engle's mother also told police that a neighbor called her saying that they had been receiving threats and that they had also kicked their son out. West Mifflin Police found a brick had been through the window of Hornfeck's father's house, and he gave police permission to search the house for evidence. In the search, police found one bag of marijuana and a black bandanna. The father also told police that he knew his son was involved in the home invasion, and he was encouraged by police to tell his son to turn himself in, according to the affidavit.
The officers eventually found Hornfeck on their own, and he booked into the West Mifflin Police Department without incident. Hornfeck was arrested on March 7, while Engle was arrested on March 8. Both he and Engle were able to post bail.