Shortly before noon today residents on Shepard Road in Pavilion saw a light-colored minivan pull up to a neigbor's house. Witnesses said two men got out of the vehicle and knocked on the front door, then went around to the back of the house and the van drove away.
The neighbors called law enforcement and when State Troopers arrived, witnesses told them that they believed the two men entered the house and might still be inside. State Police and Sheriff's deputies from Genesee and Livingston counties responded to the scene.
A robot was deployed to check the interior of the house and with the help of the homeowner, intestigators determined someone had been in the house and items were missing.
A man from Rochester was located about an hour ago walking on Transit Road and is now in custody. It's unconfirmed whether he's connected to the case. A State Police helicopter has been deployed to search the area. State Police are still on scene.
A couple of minutes ago, Mercy medics were called non-emergency to stage in the area of Transit and Shepard roads to possibly assist the police.
(Howard is there and will have more complete coverage later.)
UPDATE 4:32 p.m.: The State Police entered the house found no one inside, thus clearing the scene. It appears the burglars were thwarted in their crime, leaving items taken from the house piled by the front door.
Whats with the stupid robot?
Whats with the stupid robot? We pay troopers 100k$ + a year to send a robot in for possible burglars? Go in and get them thats your job!
the robot is for the safety
the robot is for the safety of the police so they don't get shot!
I think its a great tool!
Sorry, cj, but I gotta chime
Sorry, cj, but I gotta chime in on this one. Robots are repairable. On top of that, dead robots leave behind no spouses, children or family. A cops job is to investigate crime, and apprehend the 'wrongdoers'. And, to spill as little bloodshed as possible. Theirs included.
Now, it might not meet YOUR idea of 'heroic', but, then, you probably aren't the one running into a 'blind situation'.
Might I suggest that you sign up to become a police officer, and be sure to tell them that, should you pass the 'course', that instead of using any dumb robot, you'll rather just run in and hope for the best. See if that gets you any extra points on the entrance exam.