Two Gary residents were arrested inside the city-owned Genesis Center Plaza after police found them hiding on the roof with backpacks full of tools and freshly cut copper piping.

Felony burglary charges were filed Tuesday, Oct. 27, in connection with the incident, Region News Source reported. Tammy Too Wehmeyer, 42, and James Franklin Hill, 39, were taken into custody Sunday, Oct. 25, after an alarm company detected movement on interior cameras and alerted police.

The building sits behind a tall, locked chain-link fence posted with "DO NOT ENTER" signs. Surveillance footage showed two people jumping the fence, a security employee told officers, according to the affidavits.

Officers who entered the building heard power tools and banging on an upper floor. They found no one inside but discovered an open access door to the roof, where they located Wehmeyer attempting to hide behind an object and Hill lying in a corner.

Police reported finding structural materials and valuable metals stacked near an upstairs exit, freshly cut and gathered for removal.

Wehmeyer told officers she "entered the building with the intent to take property," according to the affidavits. She said she and Hill went inside because they did not believe the property belonged to anyone and needed money.

The property does belong to someone. The Genesis Center is a city-owned building that Gary has slated for demolition as part of a broader downtown redevelopment effort. The city, working with the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority (RDA) and contractor McDonagh Demolition, is moving forward with a coordinated teardown of the Genesis Center and the former Gordon's Department Store complex, according to a city announcement.

The city described the building's condition in stark terms. Scrapping over decades of abandonment stripped all vital electrical and mechanical infrastructure, the announcement said. Powers & Sons Construction estimated repair and stabilization costs at more than $10 million. State fiscal reviews found the facility had run deep deficits for years, recouping only 33 cents for every dollar spent.

The cleared site will anchor a redevelopment vision shaped through collaboration with the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture, according to the city.

Court information on initial appearances or bond was not available as of publication. Anyone with information about criminal activity at city-owned properties can contact the Gary Police Department.