BELLINGHAM - A Bellingham man chased down and detained a home burglary suspect toting stolen digital cameras, cash and credit cards this weekend, police said.
The victim, 36, woke up just after 5 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 5, to a blaring security alarm at his home on Indian Terrace, said Bellingham police spokesman Mark Young. He heard a noise outside and saw a man running away with a backpack - his backpack.
After a brief chase, the resident detained the man. A police report didn't detail how the alleged burglar was stopped, but Young said the victim "held him" until officers arrived.
Police arrested 40-year-old Brian Glen Joshua Lehmann on suspicion of residential burglary and theft in the first and second degrees. The stolen property was worth several thousand dollars. All of it was returned to the victim.
Lehmann didn't have any weapons or burglary tools on him, Young said. Police believe the victim might have left his door unlocked, because they found no sign of a break-in.
Lehmann has felonies on his record for possessing stolen property and having several chunks of crack cocaine in a jacket pocket.
Reach Caleb Hutton at 360-715-2276 or caleb.hutton@bellinghamherald.com. Read his dispatcher blog at blogs.bellinghamherald.com/dispatcher or follow him on Twitter at @bhamcrime.
