Private Plane Passenger Sees Home Being Burglarized – Calls Police, They Catch Intruder

I’ve recently posted on the danger of confronting burglars in your home, and there are enough grim statistics to remind us all of why that’s a bad idea. You should always call 911 if you have the slightest suspicion that an intruder is in your home. The police prefer to be called: the last thing they want is for you to risk your life in a face-to-face encounter. That strong encouragement to dial 911 is the same if you are parked outside your home – or flying over it! In the seat of Blount County (south of Knoxville), a passenger in a private place did just that. And the police caught the perpetrator.

A Maryville man flying in a private aircraft with a friend was surprised Monday when he flew over his house and noticed a suspicious truck backed up to his garage when no one was supposed to be home. The airborne observer, Jonathan Carr, called his wife, who notified police of the suspicious silver Chevrolet truck at their Belleville Avenue residence, said Maryville Police Chief Tony Crisp. That call was the start of several events ending in the arrest of James Brandon Sutton.

What Would You Do?

In the first place, we have to give credit to Mr. Carr’s vision. After all, private planes are not allowed to fly that low, so he must have sharp eyes. And when he saw something that looked wrong, he didn’t waste any time.

Officers came to the Carr residence and ran the vehicle’s tag, which came back registered to a Jeep, not a Chevy truck. They also ran the vehicle identification number (VIN) and it came back to a vehicle that had been stolen a week ago at Everett Hills Baptist Church, Crisp said. Officers checked the house and found it had been entered through a broken window.

Serial Burglar at Work

“A few minutes later a call came in from a woman on West Ray Avenue, near the Carr residence, reporting that her house had been broken into,” Crisp said. When officers examined the stolen truck at the Carr residence they discovered a wallet with an identification of a man wanted on other charges of aggravated burglary by the Blount County Sheriff’s Office. Then at 5 p.m., police received a call from employees at SunTrust Bank, on West Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville. Officers were told that a person was attempting to cash what they thought was a stolen check, Crisp said.

Okay, now we have two burglaries, a stolen vehicle, and attempting to cash a stolen check. This is one ambitious bad guy!

Happy Ending – for the Law-abiding Public

Officers took the suspect into custody. Police then received another call of a stolen vehicle from Martin Street in Maryville, which was found in the Kroger parking lot. Sutton was charged with two counts of aggravated burglary, theft over $10,000, theft over $1,000 and one count of identity theft by Maryville.

Not many burglars will steal two cars in that time span – sounds more like something you see in the movies. The good news: this perp is off the street.

I am willing to bet that neither of the two homes broken into by this burglar had a monitored alarm system. You really don’t want to be flying over your home to see the intruder, or wait to get home and find the broken window and missing valuables. Remember, the best way to deter a burglar in the first place is with a monitored home alarm system. If the intruder is not scared away by the loud siren, then the police will deal with them when dispatched by the monitoring center. More and more homes are choosing peace of mind with a home alarm, and that’s where FrontPoint can help. We’re the leader in wireless home security, as well as the #1 ranked home alarm company in the US. When you’re ready for a home alarm that’s safer, smarter, simpler, more affordable, and virtually impossible to defeat, you’re ready for FrontPoint: no hidden fees, the best interactive, wireless home alarm technology at the best price, and world-class service. And just as Mr. Carr did from roughly 500 feet up in the air, please dial 911 when you suspect an unwanted guest is on the prowl.