Two men identified in Clay Township home invasion

SOUTH BEND — Two men will face charges for an October home invasion in Clay Township, according to St. Joseph County police. The both suspects are Niles residents: Emilio Sanchez, 20; and Trey Clark, 19. Both men are expected to face felony robbery and burglary charges. Two county police detectives working the case received information about the identity of the intruders, and learned Sanchez was in custody in Berrien County Jail on other charges, according to police. They interviewed the man, who admitted he was involved in the Clay Township robbery and implicated the other Niles man as his accomplice, according to police. Clark was taken into custody Thursday during a visit to his probation officer in Niles, according to police. He is now lodged in the Berrien County Jail facing extradition to Indiana. Early on Oct. 5, a 35-year-old man let his dog outside his home on Wentland Road in Clay Township. When he stepped back inside, he was confronted by two men who said they had a gun and demanded money. The homeowner’s wife and three children were asleep elsewhere in the house. To protect his family, the homeowner started punching the intruders and yelled to his wife to call 911. The men fled, but one came back with a shovel, police said at the time. The homeowner was able to wrestle away the shovel and hit one of the intruder on the head, creating a gash, police said. The fight escalated, with the homeowner being choked and cut with a kitchen knife before the intruders heard police cars approaching and fled. It was later discovered that the men had taken items from the victim’s vehicle, which was parked outside.