Letter carrier, alert neighbor help Kettering police catch burglary suspect red-handed

KETTERING — A letter carrier and an alert neighbor help Kettering police catch one burglary suspect red-handed, and detain a second suspect in Moraine.

Two men had been knocking on doors in the neighborhood Tuesday afternoon, asking about landscaping work when police responded around 2 p.m. to a report of a suspicious person at a home in the 3200 block of Governors Trail near Southdale Drive. There also was a vehicle parked in the driveway that didn’t seem to belong, Kettering police Sgt. Joe Ferrell said.

Officers quickly responded, and confirmed the neighbor’s report.

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“At least one white male suspect was inside causing a lot of, not damage, but was basically going through all the items that were in the house,” Ferrell said. “He comes out the back door and (officers) order him down (to the ground). He runs back inside, and then they are eventually able to get him to come out the front door and they take him into custody.”

The man’s name was not released.

The department’s SWAT team happened to be training nearby, and quickly arrived to assist.

There was concern someone else may be in the house, and the owner said an attic trap door was down in the garage, which was not like that before.

Officers could be heard yelling, “Kettering Police. If anyone is in the attic, come out now.” SWAT team members and a K-9 checked the house, but no one else was found inside.

Ferrell said police did not fire any shots during the incident, and that despite neighbors’ reports, he was not aware of any gunfire.

The man arrested at the house was one of two men who had been going door-to-door, the sergeant said. The second man apparently left the area as officers responded and later was detained in Moraine.

A letter carrier saw the men while he was on his route.

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“When the mailman confronted the suspects he asked what he was doing and the suspect said, ‘I’m looking for landscape jobs.’ So what they had been doing were going around homes and knocking on the door. If someone answered they’d ask about landscaping work. If nobody, they would try to find a way inside.

“Don’t hesitate to call us if you have someone at your door and you think something is suspicious,” said Ferrell, who added that police can check their credentials.

“They may be looking for work or they may be just looking for an empty house to try to get in to burglarize,” Ferrell said.

Police have not released the name of either suspect nor what charges they face.

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