Suspected Burglar Arrested After Homeowner Defends Property in Waite Park

(KNSI) – A suspected burglar was arrested after a homeowner bashed him in the face with a gun in Waite Park.

Police were called around 10:20 on Friday night for an attempted break-in at a home in the 200 block of 11th Avenue. Police talked with a victim who said he was upstairs when he heard a banging on his house from the outside. The owner says he ran downstairs and looked out the window, where he saw a man breaking through his screen door.

The victim shouted he had a gun and told the burglar to leave. When he didn’t flee, the homeowner stepped forward and hit the suspect in the face with the butt of his gun. The burglar then ran from the scene.

Through their investigation, police learned a house a block away was also burglarized by a man fitting the suspect’s description. The victim told investigators he was upstairs when he heard his dog barking. Once downstairs, the owner found the suspect holding several pieces of property worth around $120. The victim spoke with the suspect and took a picture of his ID to show police. The burglar entered the house by breaking glass in the front door.

While investigating the incidents, police were called by a nearby Kwik Trip for a man who refused to leave the store. The man fit the description of the suspect and was arrested.

He was identified as 20-year-old Dylan Nyatenya Okoth of St. Cloud. Okoth was charged on Monday with two counts of first-degree burglary. Bail was set at $75,000.

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