A car burglar was caught by good old-fashioned observant patrol work just after having victimized an unsuspecting citizen.

On May 14, at approximately 4:30 a.m., a patrol officer spotted a man on a bicycle at the 3800 block of Country Club Boulevard. The bicycle was operating without any lights, and contact was made with the rider, Daniel Clapper (DOB: 8-9-70). Clapper’s story about where he was coming from did not make sense, and the officer noticed a bulge in the pocket of Clapper’s sweatshirt. Clapper agreed to be searched, and a Crown Royal bag was located which contained cash, sunglasses, a necklace, and a prescription pill bottle. The pill bottle had an unrelated name and a nearby address on it. Officers detained Clapper until contact could be made at that location to ascertain if a crime had been committed.

Upon making contact at that location, a victim was located whose name matched the prescription bottle. Further investigation determined Clapper had burglarized the victim’s vehicle to obtain the pills. A neighborhood canvass conducted later during daylight hours could not locate any possible owners of the necklace, cash, or sunglasses.

Clapper was arrested and charged with burglary of a conveyance, grand theft of a controlled substance, and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. He was transported to the Lee County Jail.

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