BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — A 24-year-old man was arrested early Thursday morning after a break-in at the State Farm office on North Avenue, police said. They believe he may be connected to a number of other recent break-ins.
State Farm employees said the suspect kicked out a few windows to get inside their office around 1 a.m. on Thursday. However as soon as he did an alarm sounded and the police arrived within minutes. They found the suspect in the basement with hundreds of dollars on him, which was promptly returned to the staff.
Thursday morning's break-in was the second robbery to happen that week, employees said. In fact, it's the second one to occur in the 28 years. Monday they were broken into where $300 was stolen. They "upped" their security system on Tuesday. And days later, the upgrade paid off.
Police have identified the suspect as Demetre Heath. He was arraigned Thursday afternoon at the Calhoun County Courthouse on charges of breaking and entering with intent to commit larceny. Due to a prior conviction in 2012, he's facing 15 years in prison. Police do not know if he's connected to Monday's incident. They said they're looking at that one and a few other break-ins, at local schools and a library, to see if he's connected to those crimes.
