Chester man charged in city house burglary
CHESTER >> A city man is behind bars at the county prison on burglary and possession of drug paraphernalia charges stemming from a pair of separate but related criminal complaints.
Ruben Alejandro Baez, 26, of Township Line Road, is also wanted by authorities in his home state of Texas, Police Chief James Nolan IV said in announcing his Jan. 9 arrest. Details regarding his alleged offense in Texas were not immediately available.
It was shortly after 7:15 a.m. Wednesday when city Officer Charles Stevens was dispatched to a residence in the 3100 block of West 12th Street for a burglary. A 24-year-old woman greeted arriving officers, speaking through an upstairs window.
The woman reportedly told Stevens her husband had left for work about two hours prior, leaving her alone in the house. She called police when she heard someone in the house.
As assisting city officers Francis Myers, German Sabillion and Donald Jackson also made contact with the woman, Myers noticed a man walking on 13th Street near Pine Lane wearing a black hoodie, according to the probable cause affidavit for Baez’ arrest authored by Stevens.
Stevens subsequently made contact with the man, who identified himself as Baez. At the time, the officer described Baez as wearing blue jeans, black Nike sneakers with a white check on the side, a black hoodie and gloves that had plastic knuckle protection, the affidavit states.
According to the affidavit, after providing police with his information, Baez attempted to walk in front of Stevens’ vehicle.
“I grabbed his belt and pulled him back,” the officer wrote in the affidavit, noting that Baez indicated that he merely wanted to have a smoke.
The affidavit described Baez as “relaxed,” until Jackson mentioned that investigators were currently checking a surveillance video. At that point, the affidavit states, “Baez started to run west on 13th Street.”
As Stevens grabbed the sleeve of his hoodie, Baez started to shake loose of the garment while running. His gloves also came off.
According to the affidavit, Baez ran to 13th Street and Keystone Road, then through an alley to Renshaw Road. Stevens lost sight of Baez after he ran into an alley in the 3300 block of Township Line Road.
Stevens returned to the West 12th Street house, when the woman replayed a tape that showed the offender wearing a hoodie, Nike sneakers and gloves with knuckle protection. During the police stop, Baez had a short flashlight in his pocket – consistent with the size of flashlight shown in the surveillance video, the affidavit states.
Shortly after 9 that same morning, Officer Ryan Stewart and other city officers responded to a residence in the 3300 block of Township Line Road, armed with a warrant for the arrest of Ruben Baez. In addition to the earlier burglary, Baez had two active county bench warrants against him, according to a separate probable cause affidavit.
Police located Baez in the basement of the residence, “hiding under a pile of clothes,” according to that affidavit authored by Stewart.
As Stewart placed Baez in the back of his patrol car, the officer asked him if he had any illegal in his possession. Baez reportedly stated he had a crack pipe in his front left pocket. The pipe was collected and placed into evidence, the affidavit states.
According to online court records, Baez was remanded to the county prison in lieu of posting bail, which was set at
$250,000 cash in the burglary case, and 10 percent of $25,000 for the drug paraphernalia case.
Baez is due in court Jan.
16 for preliminary hearings before Magisterial District Judge Spencer B. Seaton Jr. on both cases.