A 12-year-old child home alone during a burglary in 4S Ranch acted quickly and calmly, calling deputies to report the incident, which eventually led to the suspect’s arrest.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said the home burglary involved suspect Duane Herrmann, 43, who allegedly broke a window and crawled into a residence in the 17000-block of Holly Leaf Ct. around 4:10 p.m. Wednesday.
A pre-teen was home alone at the time and called authorities.
When deputies arrived at the house, they confronted Herrmann near the yard. The suspect fled on foot, with deputies on his tail.
Deputies temporarily lost sight of Herrmann and established a perimeter in the area. An exhaustive search involving deputies, a sheriff’s helicopter, canine deputies and San Diego Police Department officers ensued until, eventually, a sheriff’s canine tracked down Herrmann hiding in the backyard of a home in the 9500-block of Lavender Star Dr.
Herrmann was taken into custody and transported to a local hospital for injuries sustained from dog bites. After receiving treatment, he was transported to jail on first-degree burglary charges in connection with the residential burglary, officials said.
The investigation is ongoing. The 12-year-old was not harmed in the burglary.
