ST. LOUIS – A suspected burglar is in custody after coming face-to-face with the armed homeowner he’d attempted to rob.
According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s probable cause statement, the burglary happened on Sept. 26 in the 4200 block of Meramec Street, located in the Tower Grove South neighborhood.
Police said the victim woke up to let his dogs out into the yard and noticed the back door was unlocked when it shouldn’t have been. The homeowner also noticed his late wife’s cell phone was missing.
Police said the homeowner heard a noise from beneath his back deck and saw a man crawling from the basement window.
The homeowner went outside with his firearm and confronted the would-be burglar, police said. He ordered the suspect to exit the window, retrieved the missing cell phone, and walked the burglar to the front porch and detained the man until police arrived.
The St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office charged the suspect, Christopher A. Littler, 36, with first-degree burglary. Littler was ordered held without bond until his trial. His next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 4.
