Photos: Saundra Piazza and Kenneth Dornhoffer
Two people have been arrested after Stone County Dispatch received a 911 call last Wednesday reporting a burglary in progress at a residence on Peace Valley Drive in Mountain View.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the caller said a male subject wearing a hoodie and gloves was climbing through the kitchen window of the residence and was halfway inside.
The elderly man making the call and his wife were reportedly asleep in their home as the male, later identified as 32-year-old Kenneth D. Dornhoffer of Timbo, was climbing over the kitchen sink through the window.
The elderly man yelled at the male, who reportedly exited through the window and ran to a silver car. The homeowner, looking out the window, observed Dornhoffer and a female, later identified as 40-year-old Saundra G. Piazza, also of Timbo, carrying numerous bags fleeing toward the woods.
An Arkansas Game and Fish officer in the area responded to the call, located two suspects fleeing the area and took them into custody until officers arrived from the Stone County Sheriff’s Office.
A search of Dornhoffer allegedly revealed burglary tools inside a backpack the Timbo man was wearing. The backpack also reportedly contained numerous computers and electronics.
A search of the silver car revealed it had fictitious tags. The search also revealed drug residue field testing positive for methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
An electric heater and an extension cord were found beside the car, with the homeowner advising the items had been removed from a nearby shed, where the door was discovered open.
The elderly man also advised the gloves and the flashlight in Dornhoffer’s possession were taken from the shed.
Numerous tools, heaters and other items were piled in an area in the shed. The report notes the “suspect had strategically stock piled” the items. “This action is usually done so that the suspect can collect items very quickly and remove them easier from the location.”
While on the scene, officers learned the car had been taken from Piazza’s relative in Heber Springs without permission.
Dornhoffer allegedly told law enforcement in an interview the following day he and Piazza were in the area to meet someone about drugs, a deal that did not happen. The two were driving around when the car started running out of gas. He reportedly said they traveled to a “nice house on a dead end road,” where it appeared no one was at home.
Both have been charged with two felony drug-related offenses. In addition, Dornhoffer is charged with residential burglary and breaking or entering, as well as a misdemeanor count of theft of property. His bond is set at $10,000, while Piazza’s is at $2,500.
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