Sheriff’s department foils burglary attempt

The keen observations of two Donley County Sheriff’s Department employees probably prevented a burglary here January 19.

Sheriff Butch Blackburn said Deputy Bruce Burrell was headed home after his shift ended at 1 a.m. when he noticed a suspicious male subject near the rear door of Henson’s. When the man saw Burrell’s patrol car, he took off running and went behind the Community Bank. Burrell immediately called for back up, and Sheriff Blackburn and Deputy Kelly Hill responded.

As the officers searched for the suspect, off-duty dispatcher Lee Ann Cook called in. It seems she was having to scrape the ice off her windshield after her shift when she noticed a strange pickup on Third Street near Henson’s. She described the vehicle as a being white with tail lights mounted both high and low.

Simultaneously, as Cook’s description was read over the radio, a truck matching that description passed by the sheriff on US 287 at Gorst St, and “the chase was on,” Blackburn said.

The sheriff pursued the vehicle south on SH 70 to one-quarter mile past Citizens Cemetery, where the subject abandoned his truck and took off through Ronnie McAnear’s cotton field. The sheriff gave chase in his patrol car and caught the subject.

The subject was identified by Dep. Burrell as the man who intended to break into Henson’s.

Vincent A. Lada, age 19, from Nebraska was arrested on charges of evasion and was arraigned the next day on a stolen vehicle charge. He was transferred January 20 to the custody of Gray County officials.

Lada was driving a Southwestern Public Services pickup that had been reported stolen near Pampa, Blackburn said.