Published: September 05, 2008 10:59 pm      

Suspect arrested in Windber burglary

WINDBER — A Windber man is in the Somerset County Jail after police said they caught him breaking into a borough apartment Friday.

Borough Officer John Rice and Paint Township Officer Christopher Swartz said they found Jamie Robert Martin, 24, standing just inside the apartment’s front door with his fists raised, ready to fight.

Martin was arraigned by District Judge Douglas Bell of Meyersdale and jailed in lieu of $20,000 bond.

In a court document, police said the occupant of an upstairs apartment in the Midway Avenue building called 911 to report a burglary in progress around 12:42 a.m.

Police said they arrived a minute later and found the apartment door splintered and partially open.

Twice, they said, Rice and Swartz tried to force open the door, only to hit something inside. The third time, it opened and Martin was found in the living room nearby.

The occupant of the apartment was not home at the time. Located later, he told police Martin did not have permission to enter and the door was not damaged before that.

Martin faces charges of burglary, criminal trespass, attempted burglary, criminal mischief, public drunkenness, disorderly conduct and loitering.

A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday before District Judge Joseph Cannoni of Windber.