Quincy teen charged with burglary

QUINCY — A Quincy teen is facing possible time behind bars after she was reportedly found burglarizing a rural Quincy residence and was held at gunpoint by the homeowner until a deputy arrived.

Grant County prosecutors charged Elizabeth Tavera, 18, of Quincy, with first-degree burglary armed with a firearm in Grant County Superior Court. Prosecutors included charges of residential burglary and possession of a controlled substance and/or narcotic by a prisoner in the alternative to the burglary charge.

On March 25 the Grant County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a burglary in process in the 18200 block of Baseline Road West, in rural Quincy. The reporting party advised he had the suspect, Tavera, at gunpoint after finding her inside his residence, according to court records.

A deputy arrived at the scene and took Tavera into custody. When she was searched, two gold rings were located in Tavera’s right front pocket, which were later determined to have been stolen from the residence. The reporting party advised he arrived at his residence and found a strange truck in his driveway, which was later determined to have been driven by Tavera. When he and another man went into the residence they reportedly found Tavera inside, who allegedly had her pockets full of stolen property.

In addition, the reporting party advised his pistol had been moved from his top dresser drawer, to his bed. Tavera admitted the jewelry in her pocket was not hers and claimed her boyfriend “made” her burglarize the residence. She said her boyfriend had watched the house for several days and told her to burglarize it.

Upon investigating Tavera’s claim that her friend allowed her to borrow the truck she was driving, the investigating deputy learned the truck had been stolen. The registered owner of the truck decided not to press charges against Tavera.

“I transported Elizabeth to the Grant County Jail. Upon searching Elizabeth’s bag at the jail, a black, zippered eyeglass case was located inside. Inside the eyeglass case was a spoon, hypodermic needle, cotton swabs, and a clear plastic baggie containing a black tar-like substance,” wrote a deputy. “Upon field testing the tar-like substance, it was presumptively tested positive for heroin.”

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.