Man arrested in connection with burglaries
LAWRENCE - Lawrence police have arrested a man in connection with three early morning burglaries, but investigators are not trying to determine if the suspect is also responsible for a recent string of break-ins.
At around 4:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Shawn Brockway woke up to make his morning coffee when he received quite a surprise. Brockway says he saw a man inside his kitchen. "I looked at him and he said 'Sorry, I'm in the wrong house,' and just walked right by me and out the door," says Brockway.
Lawrence police say after the suspect, Ronald Brooks, Jr., left he broke into another house. This time, it was in the 200 block of Woodlawn. Again, a resident woke up to find someone inside their home. After confronting the suspect, the witness says the man ran away.
As officers canvassed the area near Deerfield Elementary, they saw Brooks walking in the neighborhood and arrested him. Law enforcement officials say Brooks entered the homes through unlocked doors, an element consistent with several dozen other crimes the department is investigating.