BREWSTER, Ohio — In the Stark County village of Brewster, where crime is rarely a major concern, residents are growing increasingly uneasy after a series of attempted break-ins by a prowler targeting homes in the middle of the night.
Brewster police said there have been eight attempted break-ins over the past month, including seven at homes and one at a business. Investigators believe the suspect has been trying to enter homes by pushing open windows and pulling on doors, often while residents are asleep.
Now, officers are turning to technology in hopes of catching the suspect.
The Brewster Police Department has begun flying its department drone on nightly patrols, using its thermal imaging capabilities to search for the person responsible.
So far, he has not been identified.
"We are just trying to let them know that the drone is up. It is ours. Do not fear it, just understand that we are using it as a tool to help protect and solve this," said Sgt. Mitchell King of the Brewster Police Department. "It does have a thermal camera on it, so we are slowly patrolling the area via the air.
One resident who believes the prowler may have targeted his home is 83-year-old Larry Gilkerson.
Gilkerson filed a police report after a suspicious incident outside his home around 3 a.m. last week. He believes someone may have been attempting to open a rear window before being startled by a floodlight and knocking over a bird feeder.
"He may have tripped on the flood light and then he jumped back and knocked over the bird feeder, so I figure maybe he was here," Gilkerson said.
Similar incidents have happened to neighbors, leaving many residents concerned.
"It kind of makes you wonder what's going on," Gilkerson said.
While the suspect has not successfully entered any homes, police say the situation remains serious.
"The best-case scenario, unfortunately, would be he would just break into your residence, steal a couple of things and leave," King said. "Our biggest fear would be threat of physical harm towards the resident."
Police have not identified a suspect, but a homeowner's doorbell camera captured images of a person wearing dark pants and a light-colored hoodie.
Residents are thankful no one has been hurt so far but worry about what could happen if the break-in attempts continue.
"I haven't heard of anything like that where he's hurt anybody, or been in contact with anybody, but it could happen," Gilkerson said.
Investigators are urging residents to lock doors and windows, review home security footage and report any suspicious activity to police.
Meanwhile, officers plan to continue flying the drone at night as they work to identify and apprehend the person responsible.
"We just want to make sure that the people are getting what they pay for," King said. "They pay us to do a certain job. We want to make sure that they feel safe and protected and that they can live their lives peacefully."
