Three Arrested for Home Invasion in Effingham

Three people have been arrested and a fourth person is being sought in connection with a home invasion in Effingham.

(NOAH REBOLLO)

City police say the incident occurred Tuesday at a residence in the 1200 block of North Merchant. Just after 3am Tuesday, police received a report of a disturbance that possibly involved weapons. Arriving officers discovered that multiple unknown subjects had just forced their way into an apartment, stole items, threatened residents at the apartment, damaged a vehicle and then left the area. Officers canvassed the surrounding area but were unable to immediately locate any suspects.

Police were subsequently able to identify four suspects and interviewed three of the suspects on Wednesday after which they were taken into custody and booked into the Effingham County Jail.

Those arrested and their charges are:

18-year-old Zion E. Mace of Effingham on a Class X felony count of home invasion as well as a Class A misdemeanor count of criminal damage to property

18-year-old Caillou R. Repp of Effingham on a Class X felony count of home invasion

20-year-old Noah A. Rebollo of Effingham on a Class X felony count of home invasion

A Class X felony carries a sentence of from six to 30 years in prison if convicted. 

Mace, Repp and Rebollo all made their initial court appearance on the counts Friday morning. Bond for each was set at $50,000, and they are due back in court the morning of November 5 for their first appearance with legal counsel.

Effingham Police Chief Jason McFarland said this was an isolated case. McFarland said, "Our investigation has determined that this was not a random crime; the suspects allegedly targeted this residence in retaliation because of a prior dispute. As such, we believe there is no further threat to other members of the general public stemming from this, and no one was injured during this incident."

McFarland said he was pleased with the fast response from all law enforcement agencies. He said, "This is a great example of the teamwork amongst law enforcement in our county. When an agency is dispatched to a serious threat such as this, all available officers, deputies and troopers response to aid those in need. In this instance, Effingham City Officers and Effingham County Sheriff's Deputies responded and were in the area within three minutes of being dispatched. This co-operation between departments is essential and helps provide safety to our community."