Evidence tied to break-ins, police say

7/26/2001

WAUSEON - Police are hoping to connect a Jackson, Mich., man with the robbery of service clubs and a police station in northwest Ohio and southern Michigan.

Timothy Stairs, 24, has admitted to some specific break-ins, authorities said yesterday. He told police he and other men are involved in a dozen other burglaries, though he has not said where. He has not revealed who his cohorts were, Wauseon police Chief Bob Brehm said. Mr. Stairs has charges of breaking and entering and possession of criminal tools confronting him. He is scheduled for a hearing tomorrow in western district court here.

Chief Brehm said Michigan State Police found a computer at Mr. Stairs' home that held a list of service clubs - American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars - that were marked for robberies.

“The West Unity American Legion was hit, and he admitted to that one,” Chief Brehm said. The chief said the suspect has admitted to breaking into “10 or 12 clubs.” Chief Brehm said police found handcuffs and handcuff keys stamped “Morenci Police Department” in the vehicle Mr. Stairs was driving, linking him to a break-in there.

A Wauseon policeman answering an alarm reported seeing two men inside the VFW hall on Friday. The men bolted, the chief said, and tracking dogs could not pick up a trail.

Police later found a vehicle with Michigan plates nearby and towed it. “The guy was watching from somewhere, and he walked to the sheriff's office and turned himself in,” the chief said.