Overview
- Preston Landis, 41, was arrested Wednesday, April 29, on residential burglary and theft charges and is being held on a $15,000 bond, according to the White County Sheriff’s Office.
- Authorities say he entered the Searcy home through a crawl space on April 27, then moved into the basement on April 28 and made a bed in a storage closet.
- The Hoggatt family grew suspicious after shoes and food went missing and chairs were moved, so relatives searched the house while the homeowner was at church.
- Sharon Hoggatt spotted a person under the basement stairs, and son-in-law Mark Gregory confronted him with a baseball bat and spoke with him until deputies arrived.
- The family reported only food and clothing were taken and said the man told them he was homeless and apologized, underscoring the tension between safety concerns and compassion as the case proceeds.