Tips sought on suspect in repeat burglaries

8/4/2005
Sketch of the suspect
Sketch of the suspect

Toledo police released a sketch yesterday of a man believed to have broken into the same house twice in two months, with the most recent incident last week in which the resident tried to detain the burglar with a butcher knife.

The 79-year-old resident found his house, 422 Dexter St., broken into about 10:40 a.m. July 27 and called 911. He went inside, grabbed the butcher knife, and saw the suspect coming down the steps, police said.

He confronted the suspect and told him to sit on the couch. He then told the suspect to lie on the floor. That's when the suspect fled out the back, taking jewelry and a book of stamps. The stamps were recovered, police said.

A month earlier, the house was broken into when a suspect entered through an open rear window. Cash, jewelry, keys, paperwork, and a Rosary were taken during the June 21 daytime burglary, police said.

The suspect was described as black with a medium complexion, 18 to 22 years old, 6 feet tall, and 190 pounds. He was wearing a white T-shirt and dark knee-length shorts during the recent break-in.