Two Niles residents have been charged in connection with a series of local thefts, mostly of lawn ornaments.

Lori Lolmaugh, 37, and Bryan Flannery, 31, both of 1011 North Seventh St., Niles were arrested Tuesday and are lodged at the Berrien County Jail in lieu of bond.

According to Niles Capt. Jim Millin, an officer with the Niles Police Department and a deputy from the Cass County Sheriff’s Department went to the suspects’ residence Tuesday in an attempt to locate possible stolen property from Cass County.

After seeing stolen property in the yard, detectives obtained a search warrant for the residence, and officers located numerous articles of stolen property, Millin said. Most is believed to have been stolen from the Niles area. The recovered stolen items include lawn ornaments, wheel barrows, children’s wagons, a snow blower, kerosene heater and yard tools. Investigators believe that the recovered property was stolen sometime since about Dec. 1.

“We believe it’s pretty much localized to this area,” Millin said of the thefts, which may have occurred as far as Three Oaks. “We don’t have any indication they broke in to any homes. The vast majority is lawn ornaments.”

Lolmaugh and Flannery were arraigned in Niles’ 5th District Court Wednesday.

Lolmaugh is charged with receiving and concealing stolen property over $1,000 but less than $20,000, a five-year felony; and larceny over $1,000 but less than $20,000, a five-year felony.

Flannery is charged with receiving and concealing stolen property over $1,000 but less than $20,000.

Bond was set at $5,000 for Lolmaugh and $10,000 for Flannery, who had outstanding warrants for his arrest.

Anyone who recently had such items stolen is asked to contact the Niles City Police Department’s Detective Bureau at 683-0404 to identify the property.