Posted on 04/09/2009 8:39:30 AM PDT by ResistorSister
Law enforcement officers Wednesday continued praising the efforts of an armed couple, who stopped a burglary at their home Tuesday, as a search of a New Philadelphia suspect’s residence revealed a huge amount of evidence from past burglaries.
“They broke the case,” said Detective Jeff Moore of the Tuscarawas County Sheriff Department, referring to the Roswell area couple who held Thomas Ritchie, 30, of New Philadelphia and William Allison II, 25, of Massillon at gunpoint until sheriff’s deputies arrived.
“They broke the case for numerous detectives who are all smiling at this point in time,” Moore said as he participated in a search of Ritchie’s residence at 709 Hance Ave. NW.
Moore said evidence gathered Wednesday from the residence represents possibly 20 to 30 burglaries in Tuscarawas and surrounding counties.
Representatives from Stark, Carroll, Harrison and Holmes counties and Magnolia Police Department assisted in the search.
A 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck, stolen last September in Carroll County, was found in the backyard of the residence where Ritchie has resided for two years. Also recovered Wednesday was a three-point hitch trailer stolen from Portage County and a World War II era Mauser rifle, believed stolen from a Magnolia residence.
The pickup truck, which had been hidden behind a fence, was damaged and hadn’t been used for some time.
“He crashed it several months ago, and it has been sitting there ever since,” Moore said.
Other items seized included tools believed stolen from multiple burglaries in Stark County and jewelry from Harrison County.
Moore said the items included some from very recent burglaries to others dating to last September and October. But the majority of the items recovered Wednesday, he added, are “from burglaries within the past week to two weeks.”
Moore said two counts of burglary are to be filed today against both men. He added that their case will be presented to the grand jury for other charges.
The burglary spree, that included two Rt. 39 NE, Roswell, area residences on Tuesday, came to a halt at about 11:30 a.m. when the wife of the man who was holding Ritchie at gunpoint called deputies to their residence.
Deputy Randy Yoder arrived shortly to find the suspects claiming that they were fence salesmen.
Yoder obtained consent to search their van and found televisions, computers and several weapons inside.
Moore explained later Tuesday that the two suspects were using the ruse of selling fence and would knock on the door. If nobody answered, they would kick it in. If someone answered, they would say that they sold fence, and they even had fliers.
Moore said Wednesday that Ritchie and Allison had worked for a fence company at one time and had become friends.
I am surprised the deputies didn’t treat the homeowners more roughly. THey did the right thing calling in right away and probably stayed on the phone until they got there.
Everyone, that’s your evidence for court, if you need it. It’s recorded.
One of the reasons that you want a brightly colored, flashy cell-phone is so that the police *easily* know that you are the good guy who has been talking to 911 and police dispatch as you hold the home invaders at gunpoint.
It’s one thing for police to arrive at a scene where they know no-one there, and see you holding a gun, and quite another when police are told by dispatch that a homeowner is staying on the phone with 911 while holding a home invader at gunpoint.
I see this on Cops all the time.
Cop to guy pulled over for busted windshield
"May I search your vehicle?"
"Why, sure officer. I certainly have nothing to hide."
Cop reaches into backseat of car and pulls out three trash bags full of marijuana.
"I thought you said you didn't have anything in the vehicle?"
"That's not right man!! You must have planted it back there!!"
Congrats to my fellow Buckeye’s!
We can’t have citizens stopping the job activity of so many detectives. This is an outrage. /sarcasm
Badly written piece.
I have a different suggestion. Better than have a pink cutie cell phone.
Tell them that the police who arrive had better be aware that you are a crack shot and nobody had better fire on you or you will defend yourself. Tell them that you are holding a dangerous criminal and that you fear for your life. That you will only put your gun down when you feel they have the situation under control.
The story would have been better - if the perps were hauled away by the coroner, not the police.
I posted the story because it is a positive story...(even if the story isn't written very well) :-)
Ohio detectives encourage citizens to get involved.
Think about it, why wouldn't detectives encourage the citizens to help, with over 600,000 unemployed in Ohio...they have an army of helping hands. /sarcasm
Just for clarification, I believe that holding someone at gunpoint IS a use of deadly force.
It’s easy to have internet bravado. If you want to be the online tough guy, hey, you go right ahead and bluster away.
On the other hand, outsmarting the system is a much more clever way to stay alive in the real world.
So stay on the phone to 911 while you hold the home-invaders at gunpoint, and don’t use words that convey a threat to police.
...if you want to be smart in reality instead of the tough guy on the internet.
No, holding a bad guy at gunpoint until the sheriff's deputies arrive is more like the 'threat of use of force.'
You're right. I miss my caffeine.
I was confused by some reading I did several years ago regarding the use of deadly force in ejecting a trespasser. Property owners, at least in some jurisdictions, may use force to eject trespassers and may escalate the use of force to accomplish the ejection. I lost sight of the transition from having the ability to use the force and the actual use.
Well said.
Take care!
Those perp's lucky day is they chose THAT home and not mine.
I would have viewed the fact of their presence in my home uninvited to be "life threatening"......mine and theirs.
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