The Chesterton
Police Department is asking Dunelanders to report any recent burglaries or
thefts, after a Porter man suspected of committing a burglary in the
Morningside subdivision on Monday was found in possession of jewelry,
firearms, and other items.
Charged with
burglary, possession of a hypodermic, and carrying a handgun without a
permit was Michael Marlon Dutcher, 32, with a listed address in the Orchard
Apartments at 700 N. Waverly Road.
According to the
CPD, at 10:34 a.m. officers responding to a report of a suspicious male
subject wearing a camouflage jacket and jeans--“last seen walking toward the
backyard of a residence in the 700 block of Long Bridge Drive”--made contact
with Dutcher, who advised the officers that he was “in the area looking for
his dog.”
The officers,
however, determined after checking the residence in question that it had
been forcibly entered and on being taken into custody Dutcher “was found to
be in possession of contraband later associated with the burglary,” the CPD
said. Found on his person: two handguns, numerous watches, and some jewelry,
“all of which were later reported missing from the residence on Long Bridge
Drive.”
Additional searches
by officers led to the confiscation of other items “associated with known
burglaries” in Porter and Chesterton as well as in unincorporated Porter
County, the CPD said. But not all of the recovered items have yet been
reported missing. The CPD is accordingly asking Dunelanders to report any
burglary of their residences, or thefts from their locked or unlocked
vehicles, committed in the last two weeks.
Confiscated items
include jewelry, cell phones and other electronics, firearms, and tools.
Direct inquiries to Det. Nick Brown of the Duneland Metro Investigations
Division at (219) 926-1136.
Three residential
burglaries in Porter and Chesterton have so far been attributed to Dutcher
and to unidentified but known associates of his, the CPD said, and “possibly
numerous others in unincorporated Porter County.”
“As a result of the
investigation to date, additional charges are expected against Dutcher and
known associates for identified burglaries,” the CPD added. “The
investigation is ongoing in multiple jurisdictions. The Chesterton Police
Department and the Duneland Metro Investigations Division were assisted by
numerous investigators from the Porter County Sheriff’s Department and
officers of the Porter Police Department.”
“The Chesterton
Police Department thanks the witnesses for reporting this suspicious
activity and would like to remind everyone to contact the local police
department if you observe any suspicious activity,” the CPD said.
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