MARTINS FERRY, Ohio — It was big news in this town of 7,200 in June when Sarah Jessica Parker and her husband, Matthew Broderick, came here to see a surrogate mother give birth to their twin daughters. A steady stream of fans flocked to East Ohio Regional Hospital, hoping to catch a glimpse of the two movie stars.

But that was topped on July 31, when two local police chiefs were arrested on charges of conspiring to break into the surrogate’s house, stealing items and offering to sell them to photographers for tabloid magazines.

“People are still talking about it,” said Harold Schwender, 66, a retired steel worker. “Everyone’s been pretty excited by it, but they’re all waiting for Act II — the trial.”

The two police chiefs — Barry P. Carpenter, 39, the chief here, and Chad M. Dojack, 29, the chief in nearby Bridgeport, have pleaded not guilty, as has a third man charged in the case. All are free on bond, and both chiefs have been suspended.