Published: November 02, 2009 10:39 pm         

Trial date set for Ebb Howard

TERRE HAUTE — A March 16 trial date has been set for a Terre Haute man facing 45 criminal charges in his latest court case.

Ebb Howard, 29, faces three meth-related charges in addition to 21 counts of burglary and 21 counts of receiving stolen property related to break-ins at storage units that have occurred since January.

He appeared in Vigo Superior Court Division 3 on Monday with defense attorney Deborah Shepler.

Howard and his wife Heather, also 29, were arrested Oct. 22 after Terre Haute Police served a search warrant for the Howard residence in the 1300 block of South 25th Street. At that time, police found methamphetamine and a meth lab at the residence, in addition to property reported stolen from storage units around Vigo County.

Heather Howard also faces criminal charges in connection with the same 21 burglaries as her husband. Her trial is April 27 in Division 3.

Meanwhile, Ebb Howard faces an additional charge of class-D felony theft for a May 14 incident in which he allegedly took a 40-inch television out of Walmart. He also has been charged with burglary, a class-C felony, for an Oct. 5 break-in at a tire shop on South Third Street.

Howard also faces additional charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of a controlled substance, both class-D felonies, and possession of paraphernalia, a class-A misdemeanor, stemming from an Aug. 12 incident unrelated to his Oct. 22 arrest.