A homeless man in Shenandoah has been jailed following their investigation into a suspected home break-in earlier this month.
Police say they responded to a reported break-in shortly before 2 a.m. on Jan. 8 after a man allegedly entered a residence on N. White St., tampered with security cameras, and left a knife on a dining room table.
The suspect was later identified as Victor Manuel Lantigua-Gutierrez, 40.
As they arrived on the scene, police say they spoke with a woman who reportedly said that her children had gone to the kitchen to get food when they noticed the rear door to the mudroom was open. The children reportedly told police they saw Lantigua-Gutierrez standing inside the mudroom.
Lantigua-Gutierrez is the woman’s former boyfriend, police say.
The children allegedly begged Lantigua-Gutierrez not to hurt them before running upstairs to the woman’s bedroom. Lantigua-Gutierrez then allegedly fled the area.
During the investigation, the woman reported finding a knife on the dining room table. She told police the knife did not belong to her and had not been there when she went upstairs earlier in the evening.
Police say they also believe that security cameras at the residence appeared to have been manipulated. A camera in the living room, which the woman said usually points toward the kitchen, was now pointed at the ceiling.
Officers checked a second camera on the exterior second-story wall in the backyard and observed it had been turned to point toward the roof.
The back door of the residence was found unlocked. The woman told police the door had been locked prior to the incident. Police allege Lantigua-Gutierrez must have manipulated the lock to gain entry.
Lantigua-Gutierrez was apprehended by police on Jan. 8 and arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Edward Tarantelli on felony charges of burglary and criminal trespass.
Tarantelli set bail at $50,000 and Lantigua-Gutierrez was remanded to Schuylkill County Prison. Court records show he hasn’t posted bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled before Judge Anthony Kilker on Jan. 29.
Photo: Shenandoah Bureau of Police
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