AUBURN — A shoplifting suspect who fled from the Auburn Mall was apprehended Thursday thanks to an alert witness and a police K9 unit.
Officers responded to Macy’s at the Auburn Mall around 3 p.m. Thursday after receiving reports of a male suspect who had shoplifted and fled on foot with a significant amount of merchandise.
While police were searching the area, a witness observed a man emerge from bushes and run away, behavior she considered suspicious.
The information helped officers narrow down the suspect’s direction of travel.
State Police assisted Auburn officers in establishing a perimeter, deploying both a K9 unit and a drone.
K9 Biza tracked the suspect’s scent through a wet marsh and wooded area, eventually leading officers to where the suspect was hiding behind a home under an old hunting blind.
Jeffrey Bates, 35, of Baldwinville, was taken into custody without incident.
Bates was transported to the Auburn Police Department for booking and later arraigned on charges of shoplifting over $250, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and disturbing the peace.
Bail was set at $500 by the court.
