CONWAY, Ark. — A Conway police officer caught a burglar red-handed over the weekend and it was all caught on a Ring doorbell camera.
The burglar tried to kick in the front door of a home multiple times Saturday. He then realizes there is a camera and tries to scratch the lens with a key. He proceeds to the backyard where he gains access through the back door.
"It's rare that we have gotten video that actually shows a person committing the act," LaTresha Woodruff said.
Latresha Woodruff with the Conway Police Department said the video and alarm system alerted an officer nearby. The officer responds and catches the man almost immediately. He briefly tried to escape.
"He literally caught this person in the doorway, bringing these folks possessions out of the house," she said.
33-year-old Devontia Hart of Pine Bluff faces charges of residential burglary and fleeing.
"With a lot of these residential burglaries, people are breaking into someone's home and no one's there and the alarm goes off and the person takes off and it's rare that you get there and they're still actually at the home," Woodruff said.
It is unclear what he was trying to take, but Woodruff said this time of year there is always an uptick in break-ins.
"You have this beautiful Christmas tree and there's lots of presents under it," she said.
This is why she says it's important to keep things like gifts out of sight.
"Criminals know that you're out shopping and you're buying these gifts for your family," she said. "Now, whether it was a factor in him breaking into this home, we can't say."
If you have gifts under your tree, put them in a safe spot like your attic until you open them.
If you buy something new, make sure you tear up the packaging before throwing it out so criminals can't see what you just added to your home.
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