Alert Homeowner Saves The Day
An alert homeowner spots a crime in progress and helps Colorado Springs Police save the day. A late Wednesday morning crime was going on in the 3600 block of Wade Lane. The home is near Austin Bluffs Parkway and UCCS.
Rose was too shy to go on camera. However, she told me two men were looking and trying windows in what she thought looked like a home burglary. She says a third man was in a car in the driveway as a lookout..
Rose called 911 immediately and then called the homeowner to tell him what was happening at the house. George Patterson and his wife were running errands. CSPD got to the house and caught one man immediately. Officers got tips and descriptions of the other two men and collared them in nearby Palmer Park.
Patterson says he is grateful to his alert neighbor. Police Sgt. Dennis Dougan told me, “We wouldn’t have caught these guys if people wouldn’t have gotten involved. We don’t have the eyes and ears on the streets like the citizens do.”
Police arrested 19-year-old Omar Amaya, 21-year-old Jareen Vanterpool and an unidentified 17-year-old male. The 17 year old’s name isn’t being released because he is a minor.
Five District 11 schools were on lockdown briefly while police searched for the suspects. Grant Elementary School, Globe Charter School, Penrose Elementary School, and Sabin Middle School were on lockdown for about an hour because of the police activity. North Middle School was also on lockdown for about ten minutes. The lockdowns were lifted after the suspects were caught.
