Sleepy Burglar Caught Snoozing on Couch

A 29-year-old Sarasota man faces felony burglary charges after police say he just couldn’t keep his eyes open during a Saturday morning break in.

The man, Timothy Bontrager, was found sleeping on the couch inside a home in the 3400 block of Tallywood Lane around 7:20 a.m. on Saturday. Police say when Bontrager woke up he apologized to the victim and began pacing around her living room. When the victim said she was calling police, Bontrager left.

The victim did place that call to police, and it was a good thing she did. After officers arrived, the woman noticed her wallet, driver’s license, credit cards, cash and personal checks made out to her were missing from the living room table, a probable cause affidavit stated. It appeared as if the man was able to enter her home through an unlocked sliding glass door.

With a description of the suspect in hand, officers set out to find him. They caught up with a person matching the description given by the victim, but noticed his jeans were missing. Even so, the victim told officer the man they detained and the person she found in her home were one in the same. That was enough for police to place Bontrager under arrest.

See Also:

• Man Running from Cops Stops to Pet Cats, Goes to Jail
• Burglar Caught Sleeping on the Job

A short time later, officers did recover those missing pants in a wooded area. They also came across the victim’s wallet. The only thing missing was the cash inside, the report stated. Officers also noted that Bontrager, who was wearing shorts at the time of his arrest, had scratches on him consistent with mucking through the wooded area where the pants were found.

Bontrager, who listed his occupation as fishing, was escorted to the Sarasota County Jail on felony burglary of an occupied dwelling charges. He was being held in lieu of $25,000 bond on Monday with an arraignment date set for June 26, jail records indicate.

Bontranger isn’t the only Sarasota County burglar caught sleeping on the job. Last year, county deputies came across a man snoozing on a bed next to a bag of stolen jewelry. That burglar was sleeping so soundly, deputies managed to snap a picture before waking him up for a trip to jail.

Booking photo courtesy of the Sarasota County Jail

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