Police searching for suspects who invaded home in eastern Greene

At least one of the suspects was armed.

Greene County Sheriff Terry Pierce called it a case of home invasion and armed burglary and said several law enforcement agencies have been working to assist the Sheriff's Department on the case since the call came in.

"We have a couple that has been severely traumatized -- that makes getting these two people number one on our priority list," said Pierce.

The call came into the Sheriff's Department at 3:43 a.m. on Friday. Deputy Skyler Pittman was the first officer to respond to the scene on County Road 1390E north of State Road 45 -- at the home of Ivan and Ruth Sparks, Route 2, Solsberry.

Pierce reported two suspects, wearing toboggan-like hats with face masks, broke into the home through a door, struck Mr. Sparks in the face, then bound both victims.

Mr. Sparks suffered a minor injury to the head but there were no other physical injuries to the couple -- believed to be in their 70s.

After ransacking the house, the suspects fled in a 2008 GMC Envoy owned by the Sparks.

Pierce said the vehicle was recovered later in the day. It was thoroughly checked by investigators after it was found abandoned on Breeden Road in Monroe County, at a location not far from the Sparks home.

The Sparks residence is located on the west side of CR 1390E which is also known as Chapel Road or the County Line Road because it's a dividing line between Greene and Monroe counties. The west side of the road is in Greene County -- the east side is in Monroe County.

Pierce said other deputies were quickly called in to work on the case but the department's crime scene investigator is on a holiday break. Pierce requested assistance from the Indiana State Police, other local police departments and notified all agencies in adjacent counties.

Besides the sheriff and a number of deputies, the Indiana State Police has assigned a crime scene investigator and two detectives, Brad Stille and Jeff Deckard, to assist and officers from the Worthington Police Department, the Bloomfield Police Department and the Monroe County Sheriff's Department are all working with the Sheriff's Department on the case.

Other details about the crime including information about what was taken during the burglary and a more detailed description of the suspects had not been released as of Friday evening. More information is expected to be released early next week, but police are hoping for a break in the case over the weekend.

Pierce said he knew news of the incident will cause concern to the public and he urged citizens to be aware of what's going on around them.

"When something like this happens in the middle of the night, people are sleeping and they're not prepared. I'm asking the public to pay very close attention to what's going on in their surroundings and be aware. If they see anything suspicious, do not hesitate to call us," said Pierce.

In addition, the Sheriff's Department asks anyone with information about this crime to come forward.

"If anybody has seen anything or has any information, please call the Sheriff's Department or any law enforcement agency or call Crime Stoppers," said Pierce.

The Greene County Sheriff's Department may be reached by calling (812) 384-4411. To leave a tip with Crime Stoppers, call 812-TIP-LINE.