Construction workers apprehend would-be burglar

It was an eventful Monday afternoon for a local construction crew.

A crew from Atlas Construction Group was working on a remodeling project Monday near Lexington Avenue in Cape Girardeau when they witnessed a man attempting to break into a nearby home. The two homes were separated by a row of bushes that partially obstructed the view, keeping the workers temporarily out of the would-be burglar's line of vision.

As the workers stood in the backyard on a lunch break, they heard the sound of glass breaking and noticed a man attempting to force his way into a home only a few doors down. When the man finally turned around and saw the crew, witnesses said he calmly walked away from the window.

Suspicious, a small group of workers continued to watch the man, who broke into a run once he reached the street.

Nathan Nolen was one of two crew members to pursue the man on foot. The crew leader also brought a truck to help them catch up to the man.

"We hopped the fence and took off in the woods after him," he said. "He ditched the hammer about halfway up the street and we caught up with him on top of the hill to ask him what was going on."

They walked the man back down to the home where he initially attempted the break-in, but didn't find anyone there. Finally, the crew sat with the man, whom they said put up little struggle, until police arrived. Once officers took the man into custody, Nolen said they informed the crew he had been in trouble for similar incidents in the past.

The construction company was a victim of theft just a few weeks ago, so crew members said the incident was still fresh on their minds when they watched the attempted break-in and decided to chase the burglar down.

"We had one of our work trailers get broken into and they cleaned us out," said Nolen. "Unfortunately, in a situation like that, there was nobody there that could really do anything about it, nobody witnessed it, so we just took a loss on it. It's just petty stuff like that that happens all the time."

Nolen said the rest of the day was business as usual for the crew.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

Cape Girardeau, Mo.