COLUMBUS, Ind. – A local man was arrested on Monday afternoon when a security camera allegedly showed him breaking into a Columbus house. The homeowner restrained the suspect until law enforcement arrived.
The Columbus Police Department (CPD) responded to a house in the 3500 block of Woodside Drive after a report of residential entry at 3:40 p.m. As officers arrived, they observed the homeowner holding down a man later identified as Thomas E. Hooker, 58, of Columbus.
The homeowner advised that he was at a neighbor’s residence to watch the eclipse when he received a notification from his doorbell camera that someone was at his home. The suspect was seen on the camera forcing his way through the front door and then exiting a short time later before being confronted and restrained by the homeowner.
Police detained him and administered a portable breath test. It reportedly provided a breath sample of .265%, over three times the legal limit. CPD applied for and was granted a blood-draw warrant.
After being discharged from the hospital, Hooker was taken into custody, taken to Bartholomew County Jail, and remanded on the preliminary charges of Residential Entry (Level 6 Felony) and Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated-Prior Conviction (Level 6 Felony).
Hooker-Courtesy-CPD
