Deputies have arrested three men who they say fired a sawed-off shotgun into
an occupied Kannapolis house house in an attempted burglary.
Frankie Ray Blackwelder, 18,  and Oscar Leonel Sanchez Jr., both of Madison
Road, China Grove, were arrested  Sunday  and charged with attempted  first
degree burglary.
Joshua Settlemyer, 25,  of 235 Stoltz Road, Rockwell is charged with
attempted first degree burglary, discharging a weapon into an occupied
property, and assault with a deadly weapon, possessing stolen goods,
possession of a firearm by a felon and  possession of a weapon by mass
destruction.
 Blackwelder and Sanchez are being held in the Rowan County Detention Center
under $25,000 bond each. Setttlemyer is being held under $100,000 bond.
The Rowan County Sheriffís Office reported the incident occurred  Friday
around 3:30 p.m.
According to reports, the three attempted to force entry to the home of
Keith Samuel Raines at   1057 Lenwood Lane which is off Moose Road.
A neighbor witnessed the  attempted break in and called  the Sheriffís
Office.
Deputies Joel Johnson  and Darrin Dearth conducted the investigation.
Capt. John Sifford said members of the Raines family were home but were not
injured.
Sifford said  information from the public helped with the quick
identification of the the  men.
While the investigation was going on a woman who lives on Sherrills Ford
Road notified  deputies that she had found a sawed off shotgun  behind her
home.
Sifford said the Stevens model shotgun had been reported stolen from a
Salisbury residence and was apparently modified after the theft.
Sifford noted that  a saw-off shotgun is considered a weapon of mass
destruction.
 Sifford said investigators are looking at possible connections to other
break-ins.