Burglary suspect in Hendricks County caught in the act
DANVILLE, Ind. (WISH) – A suspected burglar is caught in the act and authorities say it’s all thanks to an observant and quick thinking neighbor.
It happened around noon earlier this month in Hendricks County at a home on South County Road 200 West south of Danville.
Daniel Craig Hott has been charged with burglary in connection to this case.
“I don’t know if he pushed just with his hands or whatever and the door just caved in even though it was deadbolted or what,” said Lynn Smedley as she showed 24-Hour News 8 cracks left on her back door.
She wasn’t home when it happened, but one of her neighbors, John Gerbick, was. In fact, the suspect had knocked on his door just minutes prior.
“He came to the door and was asking for directions to the high school,” Gerbick said.
He said he got a weird feeling and came back outside to watch the guy pull away.
“He turned three house down so I started walking down the road to see what he was doing.”
He said he watched as the man knocked on that door. When nobody answered he said the suspect went around to the back and kicked in that door. Gerbick then ran home to have his wife call 911. He then flagged a UPS driver down and asked him to block the suspect’s car.
“I didn’t want him to get away and I didn’t want to go in on him so we just tried to keep him there,” Gerbick said.
Within minutes deputies showed up and say they found Daniel Craig Hott in a hallways of the home.
“In all sincerity the gentleman that called us really did his community a favor,” said Capt. Amanda Goings with the Hendricks County Sheriff’s Office.
“I just watch my neighbors and I’d hope they’d do the same for me,” Gerbick said.
Now Smedley wants to make sure they would. The break-in prompted her to start organizing a neighborhood watch meeting.
“We are all going to meet each other and talk and exchange telephone numbers and cell numbers and just keep an eye out,” she said. “This will be something really good to come out of it.”
Authorities said community involvement and communication with police is key to keeping the area safe.
“It is absolutely vital. We have great partnerships here in Hendricks County with our residents and our citizens. We can’t be everywhere at the same time so we rely on them very heavily to let us know what they see. It is kind of the if you see something say something mentality and in this instance it really paid off. We couldn’t do it without the people that live in our community,” Goings said.
According to court documents, Daniel Hott told authorities he chose the house at random, and broke in because he was unemployed and high. He’s due back in court Oct. 11.
