Sheriff Brian Bellendir announced Wednesday that several thousand dollars worth of property that was allegedly stolen by burglars has been recovered over the course of the last several days.

Officers from the Barton County Sheriff’s Office have been investigating a series of burglaries in Barton County that culminated in one arrest Friday, Oct. 24, north of Great Bend. Two more people were arrested and a search warrant executed Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 28,  at the residence of Gregory C. Keenan and his son Jacob, at 2545 16th St., on the southeast corner of 16th and Washington St. in Great Bend.

Kyle Dreiling, 29, was arrested Friday at a rural location north of Great Bend. He is being held in the Barton County Jail on several counts of burglary and theft in lieu of a $50,000 bond.
Gregory C. Keenan, 52, is being held on several counts of burglary and theft as well as firearms violation. He was also charged with possession of methamphetamine and is being held in lieu of a $50,000 bond.
Jacob A. Keenan, 29, is charged with burglary and theft as well as possession of stolen property. He’s being held in lieu of a $20,000 bond.

Around 6:30 p.m. Friday, sheriff’s officers were alerted to suspicious activity near several salvage yards north of Great Bend. They learned two businesses had been burglarized. According to a statement issued by Sheriff Bellendir, suspects were developed and one person was arrested at the scene. Others fled and were not immediately located.

“Deputies and detectives continued their investigation, attempting to find the other suspects and stolen property,” Bellendir said. One suspect was located shortly before noon on Tuesday at a metal recycling business, attempting to sell allegedly stolen property.
During the investigation, several property owners were contacted and were able to identify items taken from their businesses.

“There was a lot of property,” Bellendir said, indicating items such as air compressors and air tools were recovered. “It was all high-value stuff that could easily be resold.”

Further investigation led to the execution of the search warrant Tuesday afternoon in Great Bend. Gregory and Jacob Keenan were arrested after a substantial amount of stolen property was located at the residence and was seized by sheriff’s officers.

“These arrests will clear multiple burglary and theft cases in the vicinity of the city of Great Bend as well as burglaries and thefts on K4 highway in northern Barton County,” Bellendir stated. “Officers are currently examining evidence and property in an attempt to locate owners. It is estimated that several thousand dollars in stolen property will be returned to the rightful owners.”