3 Juveniles, 2 Adults Charged In $200K Heist At Mooresville Home

MOORESVILLE, NC — Five people, including three teenagers, were arrested and charged after a Mooresville area home was burglarized and damaged while the residents were out of town on vacation, the Iredell County Sheriff's Office said Monday.

The heist included the theft of three cars and valuables worth an estimated $200,000, most of which was eventually returned to the victims, ICSO said.

Those charged with the incident, which occurred July 19-20, were James Steven Tyler Ginsburg, 21, of Lewisville; Cameron Michael Smith, 19, of Union Grove; a 17-year-old female from Statesville, a 16-year-old male from Olin and a 14-year-old male from Winston-Salem.

Ginsburg was charged with multiple counts of felony breaking and entering; felony larceny after breaking and entering; felony larceny of a motor vehicle; felony possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; felony obtain property by false pretense and misdemeanor contributing to delinquency of a minor.

Smith was charged with felony breaking and entering; felony larceny after breaking and entering; felony larceny and felony larceny of a motor vehicle. ICSO also said it intended to submit petitions to Juvenile Services to charge all three juveniles with felony and misdemeanor charges.

According to Iredell Sheriff Darren Campbell, authorities became aware of the crime July 20, when a vehicle was found abandoned in a field on Mullis Road in northern Iredell County.

"When the deputies attempted to make contact with the owners to find out why the vehicle was in this location, the owner stated they were out of town on vacation, and the vehicle should be at the residence," ICSO said.

A neighbor checked on the victims' home and found it had been broken into and heavily damaged. When ICSO met with the homeowners to process the scene, two additional vehicles were reported stolen, along with property.

Within hours, one of the vehicles was stopped during a traffic stop, and a 17-year-old female was detained and later released to a parent. A short time later, the second missing stolen vehicle was spotted in Winston-Salem, and later recovered by local police.

During the investigation, ICSO information that Ginsburg was possibly in a home on West Memorial Highway. When deputies arrived, however, he hid in the woods, but was later located and taken into custody.

On July 21, investigators executed a search warrant at the Hallmark Inn in Statesville, where two suspects had been staying. "Investigators entered the room and located almost all of the property which had been stolen from the residence in Mooresville," ICSO said.

ICSO said the case remained under investigation and additional charges could be forthcoming.