GOBLES, MI (WHTC/WKZO) – One of the newest members of the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department stepped up on Sunday (Oct. 22) morning to thwart a burglar at a Gobles residence.
According to Van Buren County Sheriff’s Sergeant Richard Rennhack, deputies and state police troopers were dispatched around 11:15 AM to a residence in the 10000 block of 31st Street near 10th Avenue on a report of a breaking and entering “potentially” in progress. The unnamed victim had returned to her home, noticed the rear door to the garage forced open with glass all over the garage, and promptly left the scene to phone for help.
When law enforcement arrived, a suspicious man with glass particles on his boots and his clothing approached the troopers and deputies and gave a false name. When the troopers and deputies pressed the man for information, he attempted to break free, but was subsequently subdued and taken into custody.
At that point, a sheriff’s department canine unit was deployed, and K9 Jett, with his handler, was able to make a successful track to the suspect’s residence, where a hammer was located that investigators believe matched tool impressions on the victim’s garage door. Jett, a 15-month-old half German Shepherd and half Belgian Malinois, joined the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department last month
The unnamed suspect, a 40-year-old man, was held in the Van Buren County Jail pending arraignment on various charges. The case remains under investigation.
