Westlake Police are investigating after a man wandered into a senior living facility and was allegedly caught rifling through the rooms and belongings of elderly tenants.
The 22-year-old Elyria man was later arrested and charged with burglary, according to Westlake Police.
A 911 call from a concerned employee inside the Vitalia Lifestyle Living Center on Center Ridge Road captured the chaotic moments, as the suspect spent at least 40 minutes on the premises.
“He carries two bookbags. He said he came here to see his grandmother Juanita, but we don’t have anyone by that name. He walked around the community, going in and out of residents’ rooms,” the staffer explained.
Westlake Police body camera footage captures the arrest outside the Vitalia Lifestyle Living Center on Center Ridge Road.
It occurred in the early afternoon of August 12.
Staff members told police that the suspect was entering and exiting at least two elderly residents’ rooms.
Police say they are still conducting an inventory to see if he stole anything, but they have not found any missing items yet.
Vitalia staff followed the suspect around after noticing “suspicious behavior.”
“The staff did an excellent job. They confronted him a few times while he was inside. And once they realized he was up to no good, they called the cops and followed him out when they figured out where he was going,” said Captain Jerry Vogel of the Westlake Police Department.
Staff reported that the man once attempted to enter the Vitalia women’s restroom.
Staff members asked him to leave, but he refused, according to police.
Police discovered him across the street shortly after the 911 call was made.
When police asked what he was doing inside the senior living community, he said he was visiting his grandmother, Juanita, who he claimed lived in room 200.
On body camera footage, an officer can be heard asking, “What is her last name?” So you don’t know her last name?
Police discovered that no one named Juanita lived at the facility, and there is no room 200.
“Fortunately, the staff and police officers acted quickly to take him into custody. We don’t need someone prowling around some of our most vulnerable people’s rooms. They are in these facilities to try to stay safe and be cared for. It’s a rare occurrence in Westlake, but it does happen every now and then,” Vogel explained.
According to court records, the suspect has a long history of arrests for theft, criminal trespass, robbery, burglary, and assault.
Police say no one was injured.
News 5 is awaiting a response from Vitalia Lifestyle Living Center in Westlake.
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