Police: Moving help unwitting accomplices in Montana theft

GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Police in Montana say a man told friends he needed help moving and got their unwitting help stealing $40,000 worth of items from another man’s home.

One of the friends allegedly rented a U-Haul without knowing it would be used in a crime. The other told police he became suspicious and left after he saw military medals in the Great Falls home. He doubted 36-year-old Patrick Joseph Adams Jr. served in the military.

Investigators say the true homeowner came home later that night, found his home had been burglarized and called 911.

Prosecutors charged Adams on Thursday with burglary and criminal mischief, both felonies. The Great Falls Tribune reports (http://gftrib.com/2xMfa3U ) Adams faces up to 30 years in prison and $100,000 in fines.

It wasn’t clear if Adams had a lawyer.

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Information from: Great Falls Tribune, http://www.greatfallstribune.com