Business owner discovers crime in progress

A downtown Windsor business owner responded to an early morning call from his alarm company to discover someone breaking into his store.

The incident happened on Saturday in the 200 block of Wyandotte Street West. The business owner told police he was contacted around 4:40 a.m. about a triggered alarm system.

Despite the hour, the business owner decided to drive to the location to investigate personally. He arrived to find that an unknown male was still inside the building, gathering items.

The business owner ran out of the store — but he didn’t have a cellphone with him, so he headed to the downtown headquarters at 150 Goyeau St., to inform Windsor police.

On his way to the station, the business owner encountered patrol officers, who he alerted about the crime in progress.

The officers immediately went to the store and found a break-in suspect. He had been loading items into a dolly cart at the rear of the building.

A suspect was arrested without incident. He was found to be carrying a screwdriver and a hammer.

Wayne Schreiner, 35, of Windsor, has been charged with breaking and entering, possession of stolen property (valued under $5,000), and possession of break-and-enter instruments.

Windsor police held up the incident as an example of law enforcement officers and the community working together effectively. “A citizen witnessed what they believed to be a crime in progress, did not put themselves in harm’s way, and notified police.”

Anyone with information about crimes is encouraged to call investigators at 519-2556700, ext. 4830. Anonymous tips can be made via Crime Stoppers at 519-258-8477 or www.catchcrooks.com.