DOWAGIAC — A suspect was arrested Tuesday in connection with a more than  month-old crime.

The Dowagiac Police Department arrested James Robert File, 42, of Dowagiac, for a breaking and entering and stolen vehicle incident that occurred in March.

The original incident occurred at 6:55 a.m. March 27. At that time, Dowagiac police were dispatched to a residence in the 400 block of E. Railroad Street, and officers were advised that a shed on the property of the residence had been broken into overnight and several items were stolen from the shed, including a motorcycle.  Officers investigated and processed the scene for evidence, according to Dowagiac police.

That morning, Dowagiac police were contacted by a detective with the Niles Police Department who said Niles Police stopped and arrested a subject on a warrant who was in possession of several pieces of property that he could not account for. Officers were able to match the stolen property from E. Railroad Street with the property that the subject was in possession of.

Dowagiac police made contact with the suspect, File, who admitted to breaking into the shed and stealing the property. File said that he did so due to a severe addiction to meth and stole the property to purchase more meth. He eventually told officers where some of the property was stored and police recovered the property, which was returned to the victim, including the motorcycle.

Dowagiac Police submitted the investigation to the Cass County Prosecutor’s Office and a felony warrant was issued for the suspect for breaking and entering a building with intent and unlawfully driving away a motor vehicle. 

Early Tuesday, Dowagiac police located File and arrested him on the warrant. File was also arrested on two felony bench warrants for failing to appear for sentencing on two charges of larceny from motor vehicles that occurred in the fall of 2018.

File was lodged at the Cass County Jail on the above charges. A bond of $30,000 cash/surety was set for the warrant and no bond was set for the failure to appear charges.