By By BEN RAYMOND LODE / Niles Daily Star
NILES -- Niles City Police Department detectives have found no evidence linking a man arrested by Cass County Police Saturday to the recent home invasions in the area.
Capt. Jim Merriman, Niles City Police Department, said the man, who was arrested in Indiana with the help of K-9 patrols Saturday evening after running from Cass County Police, has no connection with the recent home invasions.
Since April 25, there have been 15 armed home invasions in the City of Niles, Cass and St. Joseph counties.
The home invaders have primarily targeted senior citizens in their pursuit of money or valuables, often tying the elderly victims up and terrorizing them before leaving.
Investigators initially believed the man's footprints matched one of the home invaders' foot prints, but tests have shown that the footprints don't match any of the home invasion suspects foot prints, Merriman said.
Merriman said police are on alert, still on guard and ready to respond to any incident that may be connected to the home invasions.
Although Niles City Police Department detectives have found no evidence linking the man arrested Saturday to the recent home invasions in the area, Cass County Police still have the man in custody, Merriman said.
He evaded officers, leading them on a chase into Indiana from Milton Township in Michigan at about 8 p.m. on Saturday night. The suspect bailed from his car and was found with help of a police K-9 unit, hiding in an Indiana subdivision.