A Chautauqua County grand jury has indicted two north county residents following a months-long investigation into 10 separate burglaries in Amish communities. Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt says 46-year-old Jarrett Sikes of Brocton and 56-year-old Melinda Pelayo of Dunkirk face 35 combined counts in the indictment that was handed down on Monday. Schmidt says the Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office received reports of incidents from July to September 2025 out of the towns of Chautauqua, Portland and Sherman of houses being broken into and possessions stolen. Investigators with the Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Division identified items stolen, included numerous firearms and personal items exceeding $1,000 in value; some of the stolen items were recovered. Sikes has been charged with 11 counts of 2nd-degree burglary, nine counts of 4th-degree grand larceny, nine counts of 4th-degree criminal possession of stolen property, two counts of 3rd-degree criminal possession of stolen property, and two counts of 3rd-degree grand larceny. Both Sikes and Pelayo were charged with two counts of 2nd-degree attempted burglary. Schmidt says Judge David Foley has set bail for Sikes at $100,000 cash or $200,000 property bond. Meanwhile, Pelayo was released on her own recognizance. Both are scheduled for a discovery conference.
The Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office Road Patrol and Narcotics Investigation divisions, New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Dunkirk Police Department and Pennsylvania State Police also assisted with this investigation.
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