BOX ELDER COUNTY, Utah, March 26, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Two men were booked into the Box Elder County Jail Sunday after sheriff’s officials say they broke down a door to enter a residence, assaulted the homeowner, and fled with stolen items.
Kenneth Rodney Madison, 41, and William M. Layton, 40, each face potential charges of aggravated burglary, a first-degree felony. Madison faces an additional charge of possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, a third-degree felony.
Probable cause statements for both men say the arrests were made at 12:50 a.m. Sunday.
“I responded to a burglary in progress of a residence where the suspects, William Layton and Kenneth Rodney Madison, broke down the door and entered the residence,” say arrest documents filed by an officer of the Box Elder County Sheriff‘s Office.
“During the burglary, the homeowner was assaulted with pepper spray and a wooden ax handle. The homeowner was sprayed in the face more than once with pepper spray and hit in the face and over the knee with a wooden axe handle.”
The men left after taking “a chain saw, a video recording system, and other small items from the house,” the BECSO statement says.
“Layton and Madison were both found in the same area in close proximity of the burglary. Layton was found hiding in some bushes at a nearby LDS church. The stolen items were found in the same area as the two suspects in the case.
“Officers performed a search incident to arrest on Kenneth Rodney Madison and he was found to have brass knuckles on his person. Kenneth Rodney Madison is a category 1 restricted person and should not have been in possession of a firearm or dangerous weapon.”
Madison has a history of violent felonies, the statement adds.
Both men were ordered to be held without bail.
