Salem Police arrested two burglary suspects Wednesday who were allegedly stripping copper wire from a vacant home, according to reports.
Richard McPhee, 34, of Haverhill, Mass. was charged with burglary (felony), simple assault, resisting arrest and criminal mischief (felony). There was also an active bench warrant out of Plaistow, N.H.
Julia Auler, 44, of Salem, N.H. was charged with accomplice to burglary, receiving stolen property and possession of a controlled drug (Hydrocodone).
Officers Rick Nicosia and Dan Nelson responded along with Nelson’s K9 partner Trigger to 25 Dustin Road at 11:37 p.m. for a report of suspicious activity.
Neighbors told police that they saw a suspicious vehicle circling the area and they thought they could see a person walking around inside the vacant house on the property.
Trigger was alerted to a fresh scent after the officers located an open door.
The dog was able to track into the large fields adjacent to the property, and was able to located McPhee trying to conceal himself one half mile away. McPhee had reportedly fled over stone walls and a six-foot fence.
McPhee began to kick at the K9, and after a brief struggle officers were able to take him into custody.
Officers were able to apprehend Auler in her vehicle shortly after. They believe that McPhee was stripping the copper from the house while Auler was waiting to pick him up.
The two are suspects in another residential burglary that took place in the area the night before. That burglary remains under investigation.
McPhee refused bail and is being held pending arraignment, while Auler is being held on $10,000 cash bail.
The Salem Police K9 unit was busy Thursday night. Both Nelson and Trigger responded to a domestic disturbance in Pelham almost immediately after the Salem incident.
A woman with an active arrest warrant fled the scene on foot, but was tracked by Trigger about a half mile into the woods. She was taken into custody without incident by Pelham Police.
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