Decatur Suspect Caught Minutes After Burglary Break-In

A Brookhaven Police officer’s traffic stop resulted in the arrest of a burglary suspect just minutes after the break-in.

Officer V. Dankewich was parked on Ashford Dunwoody Road near Harts Mill Road around 1 a.m. Thursday when he saw a Ford Expedition with its license plate covered, according to a press release from the City of Brookhaven. The officer stopped the SUV and noted a large flat screen TV in the back.

The driver, Horace Napier, told the officer he was going to install the TV at a friend’s house. At that time the officer received a call that a Durden Drive home had just been burglarized. Burglary tools and a ski mask were found in a further search of the vehicle., and the TV was confirmed stolen from the home.

“It is proactive traffic stops and good police work like this that sets an example for all of our officers,” Chief Gary Yandura said in the press release.

Napier, 51, of Decatur, was arrested and held in the DeKalb County jail. He is charged with burglary, driving with an expired tag and concealing a license plate.