MASKED HOME INTRUDER FOUND GUILTY AS CHARGED

 Evansville, IN –Prosecutor Diana Moers announces that on January 25, 2024, Michael Steven Lucero Jr. was found guilty after a two-day jury trial in front of Magistrate Judge Ryan C. Reed of the Vanderburgh County Circuit Court. Lucero was charged with Burglary, a Level 4 Felony; Criminal Mischief, a Class A Misdemeanor; and Resisting Law Enforcement, a Class B Misdemeanor. 

On July 25, 2023, Officers were dispatched at approximately 4:30am on a residential burglary call. The victim had got an alert on her camera system that there was motion inside her deceased brother-in-law’s house. The house had been in the family since the 1940s, and the victim’s brother-in-law had recently passed away. She told police she could see a man sifting through items in the house on the camera, and that residence had been robbed before. Officers began to set up a perimeter around the house as soon as they arrived at the scene. The back door then swung open, glass busting over the patio, and Michael Steven Lucero Jr. ran out. Officers told him to stop, but Lucero continued to run. Officers were soon able to get Lucero to the ground while he continued to resist. When asked why he ran from officers, Lucero said he didn’t want to go back to jail. Stolen items from the house were then found in his backpack. 

Surveillance footage from inside the home, stolen items, and officer testimony were all presented by Deputy Prosecutor Ian Blair at the trial. “I hope this outcome shows Evansville citizens that law enforcement and the Prosecutor’s Office take seriously the duty to protect their homes, as well as their sense of safety in this community,” stated Deputy Prosecutor Blair after the trial. Prosecutor Diana Moers added: “One of the most terrifying crimes is the breach of one’s own home in the night. The Defendant in this case was held accountable and we will seek a harsh punishment at sentencing. The brave victim made use of home surveillance which was instrumental in keeping her safe by allowing her to alert the police quickly. Police then apprehended the masked intruder ultimately leading the conviction of this Defendant.” 

Prosecutor Moers thanks Officers Kory Winn, Ryan Andrews and Robert Morrow, as well as Detectives Todd Lincoln and Alanna Hagensieker, and all other Officers who had a role in this case. Prosecutor Moers also thanks her staff, Victim Advocate Lisa Deutsch and Investigator Jessica Pollock, for their earnest efforts to ensure a smooth trial. 

Sentencing is scheduled for February 16, 2024, in front of Magistrate Judge Ryan C. Reed of the Vanderburgh County Circuit Court.