Two separate burglaries, two separate days, two separate trailer courts, one common link: Jessica Burmester.

The 26-year-old Caledonia woman, who has been involved in a string of burglaries around Houston County, has been charged in Houston County District Court with two counts of second-degree burglary (one with liability for crimes of another) and two counts of theft (one with liability for crimes of another) for two unrelated incidents, one occurring in Hills Trailer Park and the other in Kistler Trailer Park. The burglaries carry felony charges, while the thefts are misdemeanors.

In addition, an acquaintance of Burmester’s, 32-year-old Gabriel Lowther of Houston, was charged with second-degree burglary and theft in one break-in, and 33-year-old Sherry Pitts of Caledonia n Burmester’s aunt n was charged with second-degree burglary n liability for crimes of another and theft n liability for crimes of another, in the other.

The first occurrence was reported, according to the long form complaint on file at the Houston County Courthouse, on March 22, when Dawna Skaff reported to the La Crescent Police Department that someone had broken into her house on Sycamore St. sometime within the last 10 days while she was away. Her father, who visited the home, alerted her to the break-in. She told police two television sets, a DVD player, games and movies, a mattress, nightstand and a bicycle were taken.

Skaff suspected two individuals, Sherry Pitts and Gabriel Lowther, may be responsible because Skaff’s husband, Matthew, had recently “ripped them off” during an illegal drug transaction. One of the suspects also left threatening messages on Matthew Skaff’s cell phone.

During an interview with Pitts by police officer Luke Ahlschlager April 5, she said Matthew Skaff had taken $200 from Burmester in order to purchase pills, but Skaff never returned the money or the pills. Pitts said Burmester talked to Lowther about the situation and that he had burglarized the house, taking two televisions.

On April 8, the officer spoke with Lowther, who said the Skaffs owed him money ($600) for drugs, and that Burmester had also “been ripped off” by the Skaffs. Lowther stated several times that he didn’t commit the burglary, and that he lived with his grandmother near Money Creek.

Two days later, Police Chief Todd Nelson interviewed Burmester, who said she and Lowther went to the Skaff residence March 20 or 21, and that both went into the trailer, where they removed the TVs, DVD player, mattress, a DVD movie, and some empty Hydrocodone pill bottles, which she eventually threw away. She admitted to having the mattress and the movie, and said she took the pill bottles to see if she could get the prescriptions filled.

She also admitted to going with Lowther and taking one of the TVs, and the DVD player to his grandmother’s house.

Officer Ahlschlager obtained a search warrant for the grandmother’s house and, with assistance from a Houston County Lt. Tracie Erickson, entered the home, where they found the TV and DVD player. The two officers later met with Lowther, who at first said he didn’t participate in the burglary, but then admitted he did. Burmester, he said, let him in after she forced entry.

Dawna Skaff retrieved her belongings, and Lowther is currently free on release conditions that he remains law-abiding, while awaiting trial on an unrelated third-degree assault charge.

Then, nine days after the first incident was reported, Deana Colsch, who lives with husband Bruce Erickson on Kistler Court, called police to report Erickson’s prescription medications had been taken March 31 sometime between 2:45 and 4:30 p.m. She reported Sherry Pitts as a possible suspect.

Officer Doug Stavenau talked with Erickson, who said approximately 336 pills were missing. Two days later, the officer spoke with Pitts, who said she and Burmester went to the residence March 31 to see if Pitts’ cousin had any pills. When the two arrived, Pitts discovered no one was home, so she entered the house and, according to Burmester, returned with a container. The pair then drove back to Caledonia and looked the drugs up on the Internet to see if they had any recreational drug use value, according to Pitts. They didn’t, so they flushed the pills down the toilet.

Burmester said she didn’t know Pitts was going to steal the pills, but that she and Pitts had purchased Hydrocodone pills from Colsch in the past.

If convicted in both cases, Burmester could serve up to 25 years, nine months in jail and/or pay up to $51,000 in fines. Lowther faces up to 10 years, nine months in jail and/or $21,000 in fines if convicted in the Sycamore burglary. Pitts could see up to 15 years in jail and/or $30,000 in fines for her involvement in the Kistler burglary.