A 45-year-old Dayton man has been arrested and charged in connection with a burglary at a Coventry Township home, according to a news release from the Summit County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office responded to the reported burglary on East Wellock Road on Oct. 18 and said the man forced entry through a window and stole items from inside, with food among the items taken, before the homeowner confronted him.
After the confrontation, the man fled the house on foot, the release said. Deputies searched the surrounding area using drones, with assistance from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and located the man on Derling Street. He was arrested without further incident, according to the sheriff’s office.
The East Wellock Road break-in was not the only incident linked to the man, authorities said. According to the release, he had previously tried to force entry into two other homes in the area. He was also in possession of items from the burglaries and from several vehicle break-ins reported nearby.
The sheriff’s office said the man had previously stolen a vehicle from the city of Akron as well. Taken together, the incidents painted a picture of a string of property crimes in the Coventry Township area that deputies say ended with the arrest on Derling Street.
The man was charged with one count of burglary and two counts of attempted burglary, according to the release. He was booked into the Summit County Jail. The sheriff’s office did not release the man’s name in the information reported Wednesday, and no injuries were reported in connection with the burglary or the arrest.
For Coventry Township residents, the case is a reminder of how quickly a routine day at home can turn into a confrontation. In this instance, the homeowner encountered the intruder inside the situation the sheriff’s office described, and the man left on foot rather than escalating the encounter, according to the release.
The charges now move the case from the sheriff’s investigation into the court system, where the burglary and attempted burglary counts will be addressed. Anyone with additional information about break-ins or vehicle break-ins in the area can contact the Summit County Sheriff’s Office as deputies continue to sort through the items recovered in the case.
Photo: Raymond Wambsgans, CC BY