According to a recently published Tennessee.gov News Center web site press release, a Tennessee Highway Patrol Sergeant just so happened to be at the right place at the right time. He just so happened to stumble upon a burglary in process at at Berry Hill, Tennessee business.
The incident happened on October 11, at around 2:15 in the early morning. Victor Appleton, the Tennessee Highway Patrol Sergeant, was filling up his vehicle at a gas station on Franklin Pike. While he was filling up, he heard a faint alarm sounding at a nearby business.
Knowing that it was in the early morning and that other police officers were not in the area, Sergeant Appleton took it upon himself to investigate the alarm he heard.
After filling up his vehicle, he pulled into the nearby parking lot of Associated Salvage Company, located at 2708 Franklin Pike in Berry Hill. When he arrived at the business, the owner identified himself to Sergeant Appleton as he stood outside.
At the time, Appleton was dressed in regular clothes, so he had to identify himself as an officer to the business owner. The man asked Appleton to accompany him inside the building so that he could safely reset the alarm.
As the owner and Sergeant Appleton entered the business, they were met with a burglary suspect, identified as Nashville, Tenn. resident Bryan Joseph Blair.
When Blair saw the two men enter the building in which he had broken into, he decided to flee away on foot. Appleton told the owner to immediately call the police as he proceded to chase the suspect on foot. He and local Berry Hill police officers eventually caught Blair near Vaulx Lane and Kirkwood Avenue in the town. After being caught, he was taken into police custody and booked at the local police station.
When officers went back to investigate the scene of the burglary, they found Blair’s backpack, filled with tools, including pliers and screwdrivers, obviously to aid him in breaking into buildings.
Sergeant Appleton also recovered a large amount of money that was reported stolen from the business by the owner. As for Blair, he was officially charged with burglary and possession of burglary tools. Blair will mostly likely serve time behind bars in a Tennessee jail. His court date will be released to the public soon, as will more information about the crime and the case.
Source:
Tennessee.gov. “A Tennessee State Trooper Helps Catch Burglary Suspect in the Act.” http://info.tnanytime.org/tngov/?p=1167
