WILLIAMS – Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department deputies arrested 25-year-old Christine Andis after she entered a man’s residence and took his property without permission.
Andis is facing charges of residential entry, theft, and criminal mischief.
According to a probable cause affidavit, on October 2, 2023, at 10:54 a.m., a male arrived at the Sheriff’s Department to speak to an officer and press theft charges.
The male told police his pellet stove, wood broiler, washer and dryer, and standup shower were all stolen from his home in the 100 block of Ridge Road in Williams.
The man told police he was selling the home to Andis, who lived across the street. The owner went to the home a week before the closing date and found that Andis had moved into the home prematurely. He was unsure how she got into the home since the doors were locked, and he was not happy about the situation but decided not to kick her out due to the closing being scheduled for September 8, 2023.
Andis was to meet the owner at Classic Title Company in Bedford on that date, but she didn’t show up. Andis failed to attend the rescheduled closing on September 11, 2023.
On the same day, the owner called and had the water and electricity shut off.
On September 20, 2023, the homeowner received a call from Lawrence County Animal Control officer Chad Hillenburg reporting six dogs being left on the property. He informed Officer Hillenburg the dogs were not his and he had moved out of the home in August.
The owner contacted Andis about the animal control issue and requested she move out of the home. Andis agreed to move out.
On September 25, 2023, the owner received a text message from Andis saying she would be moved out in a couple of days.
The owner returned to his home on October 2, 2023, and found his home trashed, and Andis still had belongings inside and outside of the home. That is when he noticed his outside wood furnace and pellet stove were missing.
The owner saw pieces of his wood stove lying in a pile of trash outside the residence and found his water lines had been cut.
He also told police that after he turned off the electricity, Andis turned it back on, and he had to have it turned off again.
He also accused Andis of stealing a stand-up shower, a washer and dryer, and a countertop sink he had stored in a shed on the property. The owner told police he found his shower in the front yard of a home in the 100 block of Ridge Road.
On October 2, the owner contacted Andis about his missing items. She told him a squatter was at his home and someone must have stolen the items. She told the owner she had filed a police report with the Sheriff’s Department. However, police say no report was ever filed.
On October 3, 2023, the owner returned to the Sheriff’s Department and reported he had the name and phone number of a male whom Andis was attempting to sell his wood broiler. He had photos of the parts of the wood furnace pieces in the trash and the conditions his home was left in after Andis moved out.
The owner then walked to the house across the street where Andis had been living and could see his washer, sink, and countertop inside but could not locate the dryer.
On October 4, 2023, officers went to Chase Bank and asked if Christine White, also Christine Andis, had an account with them. The officer had a document claiming that White had funds at Chase Bank and believed the document given to Classic Title Company was fraudulent. Bank officials confirmed that the document was not from their bank. Police then learned that Andis had forged the document by using a similar one found on Google. Andis had updated the date, buyer’s name, location, amount, and name and signature.
The information was forwarded to the Lawrence County Prosecutor’s Office, and a warrant was issued for Andis’s arrest.
