One tailed burglar’s getaway path, directed deputies to location

Two quick-acting Fayette residents helped sheriff’s deputies foil two burglaries Monday afternoon by calling 911 to report suspicious activity near their homes, officials said.

One of the residents took their civic duty even further by tailing the burglar’s getaway car as it left the Dix-Lee-On subdivision, said Lt. Tommy Pope of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department. Using a cell phone, the good samaritan kept police updated on the various turns the burglar took until a deputy could catch up to them, Pope said.

Just before deputies arrived, the suspect kept looking over his shoulder, indicating that he knew he was being followed, Pope said.

Elson Boiar, 44, was arrested on the scene, having carted away with a dishwasher, a sink with the garbage disposal attached and some light fixtures, Pope said. A second person in the car will escape burglary charges and is cooperating with police, but he had to be arrested due to outstanding arrest warrants, Pope said.

The other case happened just after noon when a resident spotted four black males trying to get into a neighbor’s house on Whitney Way, Pope said. Deputies stopped one of the vehicles as it exited the subdivision, arresting its two occupants and recovering jewelry, a cash box, some wine and paper documents that were stolen from the home, Pope said.

Arrested were Mason Jones, 22, and Khiree Wanzu, 18. Detectives think they have identified one of the two at-large suspects and were seeking warrants for his arrest Tuesday afternoon, Pope said. It is hoped the fourth suspect will be identified soon, he added.

In both cases, the items that were stolen from the home were recovered by police, Pope said.

Pope credited the alert citizens for calling 911 quickly, noting that the Whitney Way call was quick enough for deputies to head off the two suspects before they left the subdivision.

The Dix-Lee-On resident took a more active role, following the suspects turn for turn, giving a play-by-play so deputies could track them down, Pope added.

“We recovered everything,” Pope said. “It was very fortunate.”