Anderson home burgled while owners still in jail

Anderson police arrested one teen and seek another in connection with an Aug. 9 night break-in at the home of a couple who were in jail at the time.

During the alleged burglary, Thomas and Chantel Ybarra were jailed for their own alleged roles in an earlier text-message-fueled brawl with bats and boards that ended with a teen being run over.

But police say there's no apparent connection between the ski-mask-clad robbers who broke into the Ybarra's Spruce Circle home and the Thursday night brawl in Redding that landed the couple behind bars.

Instead, Ashley Anne Fortner, 19, of Redding and her alleged teen accomplice were merely taking advantage of the fact that no one was home when they broke in, Anderson police Capt. Robert Kirvin said.

A neighbor spotted the teens and called police. Officers caught Fortner, but were unable to find the boy who had accompanied her, though the boy ditched his backpack and ski mask during the pursuit, Kirvin said.

Fortner later told investigators the boy's name, but officers are still trying to find him, Kirvin said.

It's unknown whether the teens took anything from the Ybarras' home since the couple are still in custody at the Shasta County jail and haven't yet been able to inventory their possessions, Kirvin said.

Meanwhile, the Ybarras each have been arraigned on their respective charges in Shasta County Superior Court.

Thomas Ybarra, 24, pleaded not guilty Monday to charges that he fled after running down a 15-year-old boy in his SUV, putting him in intensive care. Thomas Ybarra is being held without bail.

The victim has since been released from Mercy Medical Center in Redding, police said.