Would-be burglar falls asleep at Huntington business

HUNTINGTON, Ind. (WANE) - Police said a Huntington business owner came into work Wednesday morning to find a man asleep at his desk.  Huntington police arrested the man for burglary after finding he was in possession of items owned by the business and its employees.

According to police, the owner of Pulley-Kellam Co. showed up to start work a little before 6 a.m. Wednesday, and found Michael Baker, 38, asleep at his desk.  The owner called police at 5:49, and officers arrived on the scene four minutes later.

"[Baker] was a temporary worker," said Huntington Assistant Police Chief, Pat Scher.  "I don't know how long he worked here for them."

Scher said he did not know how much the items Baker had on him were worth.

Officers discovered a broken window, which they believed Baker used to break into the business.  They also discovered the car Baker used to get there.  Inside it, was another man who was sleeping.  That man was questioned and released.

"To out knowledge, he never entered the building," Scher said.  "They had a car that belonged to an acquaintance of one of them.  Why he went in, I don't know.  There was nothing put in the report about that."

As of Thursday night, Baker remained in the Huntington County Jail.  His initial court appearance is set for Friday.  He's being charged with:

• Burglary
• Possession of a controlled substance
• Possession of cocaine

Scher said he and other officers in the community have enjoyed sharing this story, but they're even more pleased with how quickly they were able to arrest a suspect.

"When we go to a burglary scene, very seldom do we find anyone there," Scher said.  "And it's usually after the fact when we catch them.  This is one that when the officers arrived, we had the burglar there and it made it easy for them."

Police said this incident is still under investigation.