Burglar freezes at top of ladder under hole in ceiling as Bellaire PD officers arrive
BELLAIRE, Texas (KTRK) -- A Bellaire homeowner whose place is under construction may have avoided a costly loss when police say a work site surveillance camera caught an accused burglar in the act.
It turns out the 46-year-old, who is seen in photos posted to the Bellaire Police Department Facebook page on Monday, was in handcuffs about two weeks prior, accused of trying to steal metal for profit.
Caught in the act, caught on camera
To set the stage for this story of vigilance, Bellaire PD offered a word-for-word testimonial from the homeowner.
"Shout out to our wonderful Bellaire Police and Fire Departments for their fast response. Last night around 11:00 pm (Sunday) our cameras detected a person in our new construction. BPD showed right away and found the burglar hiding in the attic and arrested him. We can't thank you enough!!!" the post caption read.
The photos show a man up the higher rungs of a ladder on a second floor just underneath a hole in the ceiling. The man is seen reacting to two uniformed officers going up a staircase and pointing flashlights at the man. The photo also shows notable work in progress.
Another photo simply shows someone with hands behind his back in handcuffs, being led away out of what appears to be the garage.
Police told Eyewitness News that the man, whom they identified as 46-year-old Ruben Guevara, was likely not squatting. They said burglary tools that likely would have been used to steal air conditioning parts were collected at the scene.
Not his first criminal act
Guevara was charged in the 230th District Court with a felony count of burglary of a building.
He made an appearance in Harris County Probable Cause Court on Monday morning, where a judge read off his charge and his prior criminal counts.
Guevara was last arrested on Nov. 17 for theft of metal charge. A records search showed he had prior convictions in Harris County dating back to 1993, most of which include either burglary or metal theft counts. The court counted 18 total prior convictions.
Court documentation also stated that wire cutters and a crowbar next to the AC unit were located at the time of his arrest at the work site on Oleander Street.
His bond was set at $20,000, which is more than the $15,000 that the state requested. If he makes bond, he's being ordered to house arrest with mandatory use of a GPS ankle monitor. Most crucially, he's being ordered to stay away from the homeowner and the property.
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