AKRON, Ohio — A police officer's hunch to launch a drone at just the right moment captured a suspected crime in real time, leading to a foot chase and the arrests of two suspects.
The drone video, obtained exclusively by News 5, used thermal imaging to track down two men near Ohio Concrete Recycling on General Street on the east side of town.
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"It's fascinating to see a crime like that. It's not often that we're able to capture that type of thing, but that just highlights the importance of us being able to utilize technology such as drone, which has really been a game-changer," said Lt. Michael Murphy.
According to Trevor Doll, the site manager for Ohio Concrete Recycling, thieves targeted the business three times this week.
Cables connected to outdoor equipment were cut open and copper parts inside of them were stolen. Components and connections to a bunch of electrical boxes inside a trailer were also damaged or stolen.
Doll said the crime knocked out power to the conveyor belt system and temporarily stopped the company from recycling concrete. Operations were shut down for the week and likely next week, until replacement parts are installed.
"It's irritating. It costs us a lot of money, a lot of downtime, a lot of effort on our part for fixing all the equipment, wiring everything back up. It's frustrating," Doll said.
Aware of the string of crimes, Sgt. Kyle Farr proactively launched a drone over the business late Tuesday night, and as luck would have it, he spotted suspicious subjects by using thermal imaging, which detects heat emitted by people or objects.
One suspect disappeared into a wooded area, but he was quickly captured by police.
The second suspect ran for several minutes in the woods, but the drone stayed over him and didn't lose sight of him as he crossed a small river.
Eventually, he crawled back up the river's bank as police closed in and handcuffed him.
To Doll, the video was sweet justice after a frustrating week.
"It's cool. I mean, I know the technology exists. I didn't know that they would take the time to use it on us, a place like this. I'm glad they did," Doll said.
The suspects, ages 28 and 29, are charged with felony breaking and entering. They're also charged with vandalism, theft, possessing criminal tools, obstructing official business and illegal possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to a police report, one of the suspects said they were on the property looking for copper to scrap and they went inside the trailer looking for copper wires.
Officers found a backpack containing wire cutters, pliers, and multiple other tools.
According to Lt. Murphy, detectives are trying to determine if the men are connected to previous crimes that occurred at the business.
Murphy added that people stealing copper and tools for scrap have been an ongoing concern in Akron. The arrests are shining a light—or at least thermal imaging—on a way to attack the problem.
"It's just part of what we're trying to do to combat these types of thefts and the damages that are caused in these incidents," Murphy said.
Doll said Ohio Concrete Recycling is looking at options to increase security. In the meantime, he's happy that police technology made a big difference.
"You feel very taken advantage of when you get broken into, so it's nice to see some guys pay the price for it," Doll said.
