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Robot Assists Police in Domestic Assault Arrest

On Saturday night while responding to a domestic assault report police were unable to locate the alleged suspect and they employed the help of a robot that helped them track him down so they could detain him.

A woman from Berlin Township had her boyfriend over to her home on Saturday night and the man arrived accompanied by his 62-year-old mother.

During his visit, the 48-year-old woman’s boyfriend was allegedly in possession of a handgun. Around 11:30 p.m. the man reportedly struck his girlfriend before departing her residence and using the weapon to fire shots at her vehicle. The man then wandered into the forested area surrounding the home.

St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department was alerted about the incident after the woman called 911 for assistance, and deputies dispatched to the residence. They performed a search of the area, but they were unsuccessful in their attempt to find the man and they left the scene.

A few hours later, around 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, the woman’s boyfriend allegedly came back to her house and attempted to get inside. The police returned to the location and saw that the suspect’s mother had taken cover inside of a trailer on the property. The authorities collected the second woman from the residence and accompanied both ladies to a safe place while they conducted a search for the suspect, who they believed was still carrying a gun.

Police decided to use a robot from the Special Response Team in order to search the premises for the man, who they believed was inside of the home. The robot discovered the 41-year-old man in the basement and he was taken into custody.

The man was booked into the St. Clair County Intervention and Detention Center where he is being held and faces charges of four counts of malicious destruction of property, aggravated domestic assault, unlawful entry, and interfering with 911 communications.

If you or someone you love is suspected of domestic violence, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.

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