Police examining if weekend suspect is tied to recent rash of burglaries

Lawrence police early Saturday morning arrested a 32-year-old Lawrence man on aggravated burglary and theft charges.

Sgt. Trent McKinley said the man’s arrest was in connection with three incidents reported that morning.

A woman at 12:28 a.m. in the 3400 block of Augusta Drive reported to police she confronted a suspect outside her bedroom door. He ran and left the house, and police eventually located a man matching the suspect’s description in 2100 Quail Creek Drive just west of Augusta Drive, where he was trying to gain entry into a rear sliding glass door, McKinley said.

The officer lost sight of the suspect after pursuing him on foot before he was found hiding in the laundry room of a nearby apartment building in the 2100 block of Kasold Drive.

He was booked into jail on two counts of aggravated burglary, one count of burglary of a dwelling and one count of theft less than $1,000.

The man posted $15,000 bond later Saturday and was given notice to appear in court June 22. Prosecutors could file formal charges in the case before then.

The Journal-World generally does not identify suspects unless they are formally charged.

Police have cautioned residents in recent weeks after fielding several reports of people awaking to find a burglar inside their home, usually after entering an unlocked back door, and McKinley said officers and detectives were still trying to determine if they could tie the suspect arrested Saturday to any past burglaries.

“It was noted the items taken, time of occurrence, method of entry and general description of the suspect are similar to other recent burglaries,” he said.

A similar burglary was reported about 2:30 a.m. Monday when a resident in the 4700 block of Ranch Court said a man entered the residence through an unlocked rear-sliding glass door. McKinley said the resident told police the suspect left soon after hearing the resident’s dog barking, and nothing was listed as stolen.