Mar 5, 2020 2 min read

Two brothers from Charleroi were charged Wednesday in a Carroll Township burglary that took place last month while the victim was attending a funeral for his wife.

District Judge Mark Wilson signed warrants in the case for the arrests of Charles Raymond Evans, 34, and Jason Sean Evans, 30, both of 139 McKean Ave., court records show.

Carroll Township police used muddy footprints found at the crime scene and a photograph a neighbor took Feb. 18 of a suspicious car while the brothers allegedly were ransacking the Hillcrest Drive home of John Pierce Watkins, charging documents show.

The vehicle registration was traced to the brothers’ mother, Debra S. Evans, who also lives at 139 McKean.

Police arranged for a parole officer to perform a compliance check on Jason Evans, who is on state probation, and officers noticed shoes in his home with tread matching that left at the crime scene.

Police executed a second search of the home after the first one revealed jewelry stolen from Watkins, coins and credit cards belonging to people who do not reside in the Charleroi residence, court records show.

Also found in the Evans residence was a driver’s license for a Monessen woman who died recently. Officers also found a computer with a browser opened to a link with instructions for breaking into a locked safe.

The brothers apparently were drawn to Watkins’ house and another in the area by reading newspaper obituaries, police noted in the affidavit.

They also were identified in court records as suspects in a similar burglary the same day on nearby Craven Drive, a case that remained under investigation Wednesday.

The brothers were each charged with receiving stolen property and conspiracy. Jason Evans faces additional charges of burglary, theft and trespassing.