MONTGOMERY COUNTY —A year after a burglary, a suspect is in southeast Kansas jail.
On August 8, 2025, Sheriff's deputies responded to report of a burglary at PrairieLand Partners, 3182 US Highway 160 near Independence, Kansas, according to Sheriff Ron Wade.
Deputies learned that multiple suspects had broken into the business and stolen more than $10,000 worth of chainsaws and other equipment.
Deputies obtained surveillance footage from the business and observed several suspects smash a window and enter the building at approximately 1:00 a.m.
The suspects were then seen leaving the area in a small, newer-model white hatchback-style vehicle and traveling south on US Highway 75 toward Caney, Kansas.
At the time, deputies had very little identifying information regarding the vehicle and were unable to identify any of the suspects.
During the extensive investigation that followed, deputies learned that a similar vehicle had been used in another burglary at a PrairieLand Partners location in McPherson, Kansas, just days earlier.
Approximately $15,000 worth of merchandise had been stolen during that burglary. After communicating with investigators at the McPherson County KS Sheriff's Office, deputies developed information that the suspect vehicle could be a 2024 or 2025 Chevrolet Trax.
Montgomery County deputies began viewing surveillance footage from businesses and communities along highways throughout the area to identify the vehicle.
Deputies were able to obtain the vehicle's license plate and registration information, which showed that the Chevrolet Trax belonged to a rental car company based in Houston, Texas.
Investigators continued analyzing video evidence and determined that after leaving the PrairieLand Partners burglary, the vehicle traveled west toward Interstate 35 before continuing south toward Texas.
Over the following weeks, deputies continued piecing together the vehicle's route and gathering surveillance footage from convenience stores and other businesses along the way. Through the continued investigation and review of evidence, deputies were eventually able to identify one of the individuals believed to have been involved in the burglary.
On August 7, 2026, nearly one year after the burglary, Christian Villa-Duran, 23, of Houston, Texas, was booked into the Montgomery County Department of Corrections on requested felony charges of burglary and theft.
This investigation is an example of how cases do not simply go away when an arrest cannot immediately be made. Deputies continued following leads, reviewing surveillance footage, coordinating with other lawenforcement agencies, and working to identify those responsible.