Neighbors Come Together to Catch Burglary Suspect
JACKSON, Tenn.- Jackson police arrested one suspected thief after neighbors banded together and helped authorities locate the wanted man in their neighborhood. Police arrested Rashaud Jerome Townsend, 19 for aggravated burglary after a neighbor called authorities about a suspicious man, one street over from a home that had just been burglarized. Investigators said the calls to dispatch allowed them to set up a perimeter in the area and capture their suspect. Homeowner Stephen Goodwin told WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News that he came home and caught Townsend inside his home red handed. ” I noticed the front door the, screen door was open and I knew there wasn’t supposed to be anybody here,” said Goodwin.” I knew there was somebody in the house. You could tell on his face he was scared to death, and the only thing that was going through my mind was to stop him and catch him.” Goodwin chased Townsend outside the house, deep into the woods and through the neighborhood. “He was expecting to run and nobody come after him I’m sure, ” said Goodwin. “He fell five or six times running down the hill then he rolled down the hill, all the way down it.” Police said the suspect got away but was then spotted by watchful neighbors who were on high alert. “If everybody watched out for each other there would be less crime in your neighborhood that’s the only way your gonna get crime to come down a little bit is to look out for your neighbor,” said George Scott. “We are watching and if we see it we are going to call the police.” Authorities said residents should always be aware of their surroundings and call police if they hear or see anything suspicious. Goodwin said he believes the suspect broke through his back window and that the damage done during the break in was worth more than the items that were stolen. “I’m glad they caught him. I just wish that I would have caught him first,” said Goodwin. “I wish I would have been the one that caught him instead of them.” Police said they were able to recover some of the items that were taken from the home after Townsend was arrested. Townsend is charged with aggravated burglary, theft of property over $1,000 and vandalism. Townsend will be formally arraigned in Jackson City Court, Monday.
