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Girl's call helps police find and arrest Mount Healthy burglary suspect

Posted at 7:47 PM, Jul 19, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-20 11:17:49-04

MOUNT HEALTHY, Ohio -- Police stopped a burglary in process Monday afternoon after a 12-year-old girl called her mother from a closet inside the Lake of the woods Woods Apartment Complex. 

"My daughter just called me," the mother said in a 911 call. "She said there is a gentleman outside throwing rocks at my front window, my back patio, my side windows."

That wasn't all he was doing, according to Officer Jordan Ribariu. He and two other officers said they arrived at the scene and discovered 42-year-old Vashaw Gulley had broken into the house with a crowbar and bags in hand.

When police arrived, Gulley fled; body camera video showed a chase that forced them to hop fences and chase down the suspect, who threw down his crowbar once they reached him. Officers said they discovered his bags already contained electronics taken from another burglary earlier that day.

Gulley now stands charged with burglary, possession of criminal tools and obstructing official business.

Ribariu said he was glad they had been able to prevent Gulley from robbing the complex or hurting the girl who originally called, but admitted he had been afraid when he saw the weapon in Gulley's hand. He only spotted it for a moment, he said, and wasn't initially sure what kind of weapon it might be.

"It's just one of the dangers that we face going to every single call," he said. "We never know what to expect."

The 12-year-old girl stayed in the closet throughout the chase and was never harmed, police said.