ROSS COUNTY, Ohio — A burglary reported on Sunday prompted a response from the Ross County Sheriff’s Office, who was dispatched to a residence on Malone Road following a call about a break-in that was all caught on video.
The incident involved the theft of a PlayStation 5 and a Nintendo Switch.
According to the police report, a man returned home from work to find his residence had been burglarized. A neighbor informed him that a male wearing a red hoodie was seen walking around the back of the house before fleeing the scene in a gray Jeep Cherokee. The homeowner reported that his new PlayStation 5 and gray Nintendo Switch with white buttons were missing. Deputies noted structural damage to the back door frame but determined it was pre-existing, likely allowing the suspect to enter without causing new damage.
Security camera footage reviewed by deputies corroborated the neighbor’s account. At 2:02 p.m., a gray Jeep Cherokee with distinctive after-market rims stopped near the driveway. A man in a red hoodie, white t-shirt, baggy blue jeans, and black-and-white shoes exited the vehicle, opened the trunk, and walked toward the back of the house as a possible female accomplice drove the Jeep away. By 2:08 p.m., the suspect was seen running across the yard, with the Jeep returning to pick him up before speeding off.
The homeowner identified the suspect as an acquaintance, citing the individual’s ownership of a gray Jeep Cherokee with after-market rims and red windshield wipers, as well as a text message received from the suspect around 2 p.m. asking about a job application. The victim suggested the message was a pretext to confirm his absence from home. The neighbor, who witnessed the incident, provided a statement.
Deputies later located the suspect’s Jeep at a two-story brick house on South Bridge Street where a woman claimed the suspect had left with his father 20 minutes earlier and had been home all day. The vehicle featured red windshield wipers and rubber ducky bumper stickers, including a large one near the right taillight. Although the stickers were not visible in the initial footage due to distance, a second review revealed a white spot matching the sticker’s location, prompting deputies to order the Jeep towed as evidence.
The suspect called the sheriff’s office at 7 p.m., speaking with deputies on a recorded line. He agreed to meet at the sheriff’s office later this week after asking if he needed a lawyer, to which deputies responded by asking if he felt he had done something requiring legal counsel. The suspect claimed he was improving himself and had no open cases.
Deputies requested an arrest warrant for the suspect on a third-degree felony burglary charge, citing the unoccupied residence and evidence suggesting the suspect knew it would be empty. Further investigation is planned to determine if charges of complicity will be filed against the Jeep’s driver.