Police: Burglary suspects pocket-dialed 911

MAPLEWOOD, Minn. (AP) — Two Minnesota burglary suspects are arrested after police say one of them accidentally called 911 and left the line open as the pair discussed the crime.

Maplewood Police Chief Paul Schnell says the dispatcher got a call and hang-up, then another call that stayed open.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press (http://bit.ly/1efCGsC ) reports the dispatcher overheard a conversation about where police were.

Schnell says the calls were made on April 1 using the phone's emergency-call feature. The dispatcher saw the location was a car-repair shop.

Officers arrived to see two men leaving the building wearing dark clothing. One carried a television, the other a box.

The men dropped the objects and ran, but were caught by police dogs. Thirty-two-year-old Todd Weiss of Minnetonka and 38-year-old Justin Evans are charged with third-degree burglary.

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Information from: St. Paul Pioneer Press, http://www.twincities.com

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Police: Burglary suspect made getaway in kayak

AUSTIN, Minn. (AP) — Police used a boat to catch a burglary suspect who made his getaway in a kayak in southern Minnesota.

The 31-year-old man from Austin, Minnesota, was arrested Sunday as he tried to kayak away from a restaurant with allegedly stolen items.

Police say the restaurant was closed when an employee giving a tour interrupted a burglary.

Officers found two people in kayaks on the Cedar River and got one to talk to them. That information led police to believe the second man was involved in the burglary.

Police got a fire department boat and, with a firefighter driving, were able to catch the kayaker. Authorities recovered cleaning supplies and lighters apparently taken from the restaurant.

The Post-Bulletin (http://bit.ly/1rUWC6i ) reports the suspect faces burglary charges.

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Information from: Post-Bulletin, http://www.postbulletin.com

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Computer support call leads to burglary arrest

DOVER, N.H. (AP) — Mike Witonis got an email from Apple thanking him for calling customer service about his laptop computer. Problem is, someone had stolen it from him a year earlier.

Police eventually arrested 24-year-old Casey Wentworth of Portsmouth on Monday and charged him with burglary. He's accused of taking the laptop from Witonis' home in Dover in February 2013.

When the break-in happened, police said they couldn't identify any suspects. Detectives contacted Apple and the laptop's serial number was flagged.

When Witonis got the email, he contacted police, who said the person who called customer service used the serial number of the stolen computer.

Witonis tells WMUR-TV (http://bit.ly/1k2NLgi ) the discovery was sort of shocking.

Wentworth is scheduled to be arraigned on May 2. It wasn't immediately known if he had a lawyer.

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Deaf dog helps owner stop attempted burglary

Dan Strasser of Salem, Oregon is crediting his deaf 3-year-old English Springer Spaniel, Bonnie, for helping him catch an attempted home burglar in the act. As reported by KPTV Fox 12, Bonnie was excitedly running around the living room at 6 a.m. recently, which woke Dan. The dog owner got out of bed to investigate and said he found an intruder, Thomas Lowell, in his living room trying to take his laptop. Even though Bonnie can't hear, Dan said, "She smelled him because she does have a very good sense of smell. And she jumped up and got all excited thinking someone was there to play." The perpetrator then took off with the computer.

“When he bolted, I think just in the confusion because as you can imagine, there’s probably a lot going on in his mind with, ‘How do I get out of this place?’ He doesn’t know it. It was dark and so he just turned in here and ran through the kitchen,” explained Dan. But it was that turn that sealed the suspect’s fate. Dan followed him with his gun and Thomas Lowell was trapped in the garage. Dan recalled, “There was a lot of, ‘I’m sorry’s. Uh, you know I mean he starts talking about he wants to get home and he wants to see his kid. Can I please let him go? I mean all the stuff you would do if you’re caught and you don’t want to go to jail.” But the police arrived soon after Dan’s girlfriend called 911 and the 25-year-old intruder was arrested and charged with burglary, criminal mischief, and possession of methamphetamine. Dan had left his home’s back door open for Bonnie to access the backyard, and he believes that’s how the suspect entered. The homeowner is happy there were no injuries during the melee and now says he will keep that door locked.

More information: KPTV

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Video shows Calif. man's clumsy burglary attempt

REDDING, Calif. (AP) — Police in a far Northern California city are asking for the public's help in identifying the suspect in a botched burglary. But if the man is wearing the same bright pants and jacket seen in surveillance footage, they may not need it.

The video released Wednesday by Redding police shows the man walking up to a closed grocery store in the middle of the night and looking inside through its front window.

He walks away but quickly returns, his face covered with what appears to be a black stocking. He throws something at the window, cracking it.

The man then flees, tripping twice, once on a parking curb. He is wearing a brightly patterned jacket and pants.

Police say they responded to a burglary alarm at the grocery store at about 1 a.m. on March 5.

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Thief returns $800 from 1980s Michigan burglary

HASTINGS, Mich. (AP) — A burglar expressing guilt about stealing $800 from a western Michigan store three decades ago has repaid the money, plus some interest.

The anonymous thief sent a note and $1,200 in $100 bills to the Barry County sheriff's department in Hastings, and they arrived Monday, WOOD-TV reported (http://bit.ly/WzFNjS ).

The writer admitted breaking into the Middle Mart on Michigan 37 in Thornapple Township north of Middleville about 30 years ago.

In a letter packed with emotion and spelling errors, the writer asks for "help in locating a man" to whom the writer owes the money.

"Anyways, I did a very bad thing that I am shamed of and have lived with this guilt," the writer said. "I can't begin to say how sorry iam but have lived with this guilt too long," the letter went on to say. "If you do find him, please tell him that I was afoolish stupid man when I did that and iam sorrie."

The letter was unsigned and had no return address.

The $1,200, while it includes some interest, falls short of making up for the loss in the dollar's purchasing power over the intervening years. The stolen $800 would be worth about $1,800 today, based on changes in the consumer price index.

WOOD-TV said the former owner of the store, now called Greg's Get-N-Go, confirmed it was broken into in the 1980s. The store was sold in 1988.

Undersheriff Bob Baker said the letter and cash came as quite a surprise.

"This doesn't happen every day," Baker said. He said the department isn't interested in reopening the case because of the time that has passed.

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Information from: WOOD-TV, http://www.woodtv.com

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