The Sunday night arrest of a suspect in area burglaries could serve as a potent reminder for those leaving town for the holidays.

Lawrence Police say thieves are on the prowl this time of year, and there are common-sense precautions to help safeguard the homes and belongings of holiday travelers.

“If you know and trust your neighbors, tell them you are going to be gone and ask them to keep an eye on your house,” Sgt. Mike Pattrick said.

Pattrick said the suspect nabbed Sunday might have targeted his victims by keeping up with his paperwork.

But that same paperwork may also have led to his arrest and the recovery of thousands of dollars worth of stolen property, Pattrick said.

“We currently are trying to match the property to numerous burglaries in Lawrence,” he said.

The 31-year-old Lawrence man was arrested after a patrol officer spotted him leaving the scene of a burglary at Tanglewood Apartments, 951 Ark., Pattrick said. He has not yet been charged.

The man is suspected of making the rounds of apartment complexes and sticking small pieces of folded paper in apartment doors, Pattrick said.

Detectives suspected the man would return later to check the apartments to see if the pieces of paper were still in place, indicating the occupant had not returned, Pattrick said.

Some apartment residents became suspicious of the pieces of paper in their doors and called police. Matt Makens, 6News weather forecaster, was one of them.

Makens said he returned about 10 p.m. Saturday to his apartment in the area of 27th Street and Wakarusa Drive. He noticed a small piece of red construction paper folded in the doorjamb about eye level.

“It was so strange,” Makens said. “I thought I’d call the dispatcher just to see if it was something I should worry about. They said somebody had already called about the same thing.”

Police arrived to investigate and found similar pieces of paper stuck in the doors of several apartments, according to Makens and a police report.

“There were a lot of police cruisers coming by that night, and I think an officer spent the night watching from a porch over there,” Makens said.

About 9:30 p.m. Sunday, a patrolman driving through Tanglewood Apartments noticed a man hurriedly walking to a gray GMC pickup truck, Pattrick said. The officer also checked and found a door open to an apartment and a screen removed from a window to the apartment.

Checking further, the officer found a laptop computer lying in the doorway of the dark apartment. The officer radioed a description of the truck and the suspect to other officers on patrol, Pattrick said.

Another officer saw the truck and stopped it in the 800 block of West 23rd Street, Pattrick said.

Inside the truck, in plain view, was paper police think might have been used to mark the apartments, Pattrick said. A search warrant was obtained and the suspect’s residence was inspected, leading to the recovery of numerous items believed stolen, he said.

“It included just about everything,” including clothes, computers, stereos and other electronics, Pattrick said.

Police did not have any other suspects Monday, but they continued the investigation.

The suspect was released early Monday from Douglas County Jail on $7,250 bond. He had been booked on suspicion of felony and misdemeanor theft, criminal damage to property and burglary. He was ordered to appear in court at 3 p.m. Jan. 2 for possible filing of charges.