Suspect in car break-ins charged

CELINA - A 36-year-old Lima man linked to a string of car break-ins in several Mercer County towns was indicted last week on felonious assault charges following an incident with an inmate at the Mercer County Adult Detention Facility.

Travis E. Neer was charged with one count of felonious assault, a second-degree felony.

If convicted, he faces up to eight years in prison and a maximum fine of $15,000.

Neer has not yet entered a plea on the charges and was appointed public defender Thomas Lucente Jr.

On or about Dec. 12, 2024, while an inmate at the Mercer County Adult Detention Facility, Neer allegedly caused serious physical harm to an unidentified inmate, according to county prosecutor Erin Minor.

At the time of the altercation, Neer was incarcerated at the county jail on seven counts of theft, a fifth-degree felony; and one count of burglary, a second-degree felony.

If convicted on those charges, he faces up to 15 years in prison and a maximum fine of $32,500.

From Oct. 15 to Nov. 3, 2024, Neer allegedly broke into numerous cars and stole items, including debit cards, driver's licenses, bullets and sunglasses, in Celina, Coldwater, St. Henry and Rockford, per an affidavit.

Through investigative efforts, law enforcement identified Neer as a suspect, the affidavit states.

Neer was previously "convicted of theft from vehicles and the modus operandi of those crimes was similar to the crimes occurring throughout Mercer County," the affidavit states. "Law enforcement also discovered that Neer had a 2012 silver Ford Escape registered to him, which matched the suspect vehicle captured by surveillance footage in St. Henry."

Also, the Wapakoneta Police Department reported to local law enforcement that they recently had 13 vehicle break-ins and that the suspect vehicle was a silver Ford Escape with plates matching those on Neer's vehicle, per the affidavit.

"Neer's Ford Escape was entered into the FLOCK camera database, and it was revealed that Neer's vehicle was Southbound on State Route 118, south of Coldwater, on October 23, 2024, at approximately 3:21 a.m.," the affidavit states. "The male suspect was captured on surveillance footage stealing from vehicles in St. Henry on October 23, 2024 at approximately 3:30 a.m. On October 30, 2024, law enforcement applied for and obtained a search warrant to place a GPS tracking device on Neer's Ford Escape."

FLOCK cameras are placed at various heavily traveled locations throughout the county and operate 24/7 to capture images of the backs of vehicles, providing crucial pieces of evidence that the sheriff's office uses to investigate crimes.

Neer was arrested on Nov. 3, 2024, by Celina police officers after they had tracked and caught him making a left turn without a signal, the affidavit states.

Neer is being held at the county jail on $100,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment on Jan. 24.