VALLEY CITY, N.D. (AP Jan 11, 2013) — Four people accused of breaking into farmsteads in Barnes County in southeastern North Dakota have pleaded not guilty to burglary and property theft charges.

 Barnes County State’s Attorney Lee Grossman says he will seek to have the four suspects tried together. They are 37-year-old Steven Hovland and 25-year-old April Kapaun of Valley City, and 32-year-old Broc Buytaert and 31-year-old Betsy Runkle of Rochester, Minn.

 The four also face charges in Minnesota of possessing stolen property.

 The suspects were arrested late last year, and authorities say they recovered about $8,500 worth of stolen property.