Alleged burglar chased from High Street residence, arrested
A woman who lives on High Street told police she woke up to find a man hiding in her living room closet.
Jason Blaine Staats, 28, of Morgantown, is charged with burglary and grand larceny.
The victims called 911 and said they just chased a man out of their house about 6:10 a.m. on Monday, according to a criminal complaint. The Morgantown Police Department was sent to the apartment near the South High Street bridge.
A woman who lives in the apartment said she saw a man “lingering” around the apartment that night and over the past several days, the complaint said. One of the male residents identified the man as “Staats” who lived on Lorentz Street and said Staats had previously been to their apartment with an acquaintance of his.
The woman resident said she got out of bed around 6 a.m. and noticed the insect screen had been torn from the window and the air conditioner had been pushed out of the window, the complaint said.
She then saw Staats hiding in the living room closet and screamed, which alerted the other residents who chased Staats out of the house. The complaint said a male resident realized an $1,800 gold bracelet, Nintendo Switch and HP computer were stolen from the living room.
Staats was described as a shirtless white man with tattoos wearing blaze orange sweatpants. An officer collected a t-shirt outside of the home and took it as evidence, the complaint said.
Officers tracked Staats to his home on Lorentz Street and saw him arguing with his girlfriend, the complaint said. Staats “threw a spoiler off of a Ford Mustang at his girlfriend” who then went outside and walked away, the complaint said.
Officers checked the apartment to “ensure the safety of those inside due to the domestic violence situation” and found a pair of blaze orange sweatpants on a bed. The sweatpants were dirty and damp consistent with the light rain at the time of the burglary, the complaint said.
A picture of Staats was taken and show to the victims who said that was the suspect “without doubt.”
