BofA throws “Preservation Specialist” under the bus, contractor arraigned for burglary of home

A Martinsburg man contracted by Bank of America to cut grass at a home a day after its foreclosure was arraigned on one count of daytime burglary Wednesday after he allegedly entered the house and rifled through the family’s personal belongings.


Warren Edward Brown, 30, of Herman Lane, was later released after posting $15,000 bail.

One of the alleged victims told police that boxes in a family room had been disturbed, a bedroom closet was rummaged through, a safe in the basement was moved and copper wire had been moved from the garage to the driveway, according to court records.

Brown has denied any wrongdoing, telling police that another man working with him found that a back door had been kicked in and that it was part of his job to enter the residence to see if there were any damages or if anything was missing, records show.

Brown’s supervisor and a Bank of America representative, however, told police that no one, including Brown, was authorized to enter the residence.

The incident began at about 3:25 p.m. Oct. 18 when West Virginia State Trooper N.F. Alatta responded to a call reporting a possible burglary in progress at the home on Byron Road in southern Berkeley County.

The caller, the alleged victim’s neighbor, told Alatta that she observed two men and a woman cutting grass at the victim’s home and later saw them inside the house. The neighbor said she contacted the victim about the situation, and the victim said no one was supposed to be in the residence, records show.

The alleged victim arrived at the scene a short time later and told Alatta that she had received a letter from her bank a day earlier stating that her house had been foreclosed on. She was still moving out of the residence and had belongings inside, she told police.

At 3:42 p.m., two men arrived at the scene, one of whom was Brown. Brown told police he was contracted through Bank of America to cut the grass at the residence. He said the other man with him was helping him cut the grass when they saw the home’s back door kicked in, records show.

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