Medford, Ore. — Medford Police were able to track down a burglary suspect early Thursday morning by following footprints in the freshly fallen snow.
“Definitely a bad morning to commit a burglary,” Lt. Kerry Curtis said.
Officers arrested Mickey Galatz on charges of theft, burglary, and criminal mischief, after police say he stole a compressor from Rogue Automotive. Police were notified of an alarm sounding at the business around 5:30 am. After responding, they noticed a set of footprints, and wheel tracks in the snow.
“We were able to follow those tracks, they took us right to a residence on North Central, and at that point we actually saw, we could see in a back shed the air compressor covered in snow,” Lt. Kerry Curtis said.
As a result, Galatz and the compressor were both taken into police custody. While the snow cleared the path to this arrest, police say Rogue Automotive has the right idea to protect their business year round.
“Had there not been snow, we would have still had that video surveillance, and that would aid in our investigation,” Lt. Kerry Curtis said. “It probably wouldn’t have been solved as quickly, but it certainly was a useful tool.”
The investigation is still open. Detectives are working to determine if Galatz is connected to other recent burglaries. If you have any information, you’re asked to call police.
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