Man arrested after a break and enter in sleeping woman’s apartment
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The case of the night watcher, unsolved for the last five years, may finally be nearing its end.
Police responded to a break and enter call made at 5:19 a.m. today, after a woman in the 6100 block of South Street woke up and discovered a man in her apartment. Police say he entered through an unlocked door. After being discovered, the man walked out of the building.
Const. Brian Palmeter of the Halifax Regional Police told the Gazette that the woman was a resident in the area and is believed to be “university-aged.”
A short time later, a witness reported a man matching the woman’s description a short distance from the South Street residence. The man was apprehended without incidence.
“Given the location and that information, everyone is drawing the same conclusion and we are not oblivious to that,” says Palmeter. “We are keeping that in mind but ultimately right now, we are investigating this one particular incident and then we’ll se where that takes us.”
Police said it is unclear whether the man was found in the woman’s bedroom, or whether the door to the woman’s bedroom was open and the man was elsewhere in the apartment.
“That information may be deemed sensitive depending on how the investigation progresses,” said Palmeter.
The man will be in custody for 24 hours. With the remaining 14 or so hours, police say they are conducting interviews with the witnesses to determine if the suspect is the man involved in this incident or others like it. There have been more than 20 similar cases in the last five years.
“I’ve always read the bulletins on the sleep watcher and thought ‘oh my god, I can’t believe that is happening here,’” said Hilari Dennis-Bohm, a third-year Dal student who lives on Jubilee road. She said that lately she had forgotten about the night watcher in Halifax since he hasn’t been in the news. “It’s good to know that, potentially, he’s caught. I always lock the windows and doors to our place.”
Her roommate, Michlyn Fournier, agreed.
“I told my parents about the sleep watcher and they told me never to be home alone and to lock my doors. I’m sure they would be relieved.”
At this time, police are reminding citizens of the importance of locking doors and windows.
Siobhan O’Beirne, a fourth-year King’s student, said she has never let her guard down.
“We always make sure we lock our doors at night. Even if we’re drunk, we know to lock our door.” She said Halifax gives the illusion of being a safe city, a misconception that can be dangerous for newcomers.
“I hate walking home alone really late at night. If incidences with the sleep watcher can happen once, they can happen again and you just never know.”
Palmeter says that more information on the suspect should be released by tomorrow morning.
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