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Cheap beer leads cops to suspect

Empty cans of Keystone Light helped lead police to a burglary suspect.

Aaron A. Altman, 31, Clintonville has been charged with burglary and theft as a repeat offender.

At approximately 11 p.m. July 11, 2014, Clintonville Police Officer Kimberly Pribyl responded to a burglary-in-progress complaint at a home on Country Club Drive.

Pribyl met with the homeowner who said he came home and found a man coming out of his garage. He attempted to stop the man, but the suspect took off on a black bicycle.

The suspect was described as a man as 5-foot-11-inches to 6-foot-2-inches with a goatee, wearing a black T-shirt and a black hat.

A tool kit, drill, circular saw, torque wrench and planer were among the tools stolen from the garage.

While Pribyl was interviewing the victim, Officer Dennis Finger was searching the north end of the nearby golf course. The break-in occurred on the east side of the golf course.

Deputy Bill Zeamer arrived with a dog that tracked the suspect from the garage where the break-in occurred to a barn at Altman’s residence on Velte Road, which is located on the west side of the golf course.

An empty 16-ounce can of Keystone Light was found near the garage. Another can of the same beer was found outside of Altman’s residence.

Clinotonville Police Capt. James Beggs traced the lot numbers from the cans to the Citgo Northside Plaza.

A search of transactions at the store revealed that a four-pace of Keystone Light and two bottles of Fleischmann’s vodka had been purchased with Altman’s credit card.

The victim of the burglary viewed security video from the store of the man buying the beer and vodka. Although the image was blurry, he said he believed it was the man he discovered coming out of his garage.

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