A Wabash man was arrested Tuesday, Jan. 29 after he was allegedly seen stealing scrap from a home in Knox.
A neighbor called police to report a burglary in progress at 0208 S. 500 E. and reported seeing the suspect messing with the gutters at the residence before seeing the suspect try to force the garage door open. He reportedly saw him enter the south garage door and then put some items into his truck before leaving the scene. The witness was able to give a description of the vehicle to police.
Officers found the suspect’s vehicle and asked the driver, Douglas Eskridge, where he had been and he said he just left a residence on 75 North. He reportedly told police that he did not stop anywhere in between. Police then told Eskridge that he is a suspect in an alleged burglary incident and Eskridge said they had the wrong guy. Officers looked in the back of the truck and found some down spouts and tool boxes. He was then taken to the Starke County Jail for questioning.
The owners of the home were contacted and told of the burglary. The owners arrived at the home and noticed two tool boxes were missing from the garage and down spouts were missing from the house. Those items that were found in Eskridge’s truck and reportedly positively identified by the owner.
Eskridge was booked into the Starke County Jail on preliminary charges of Burglary, Theft and Criminal Mischief.
