Officers catch new-construction burglar with drone operation in Collin County

ANNA, Texas - Newly-constructed homes can be a soft target for thefts, with burglars often taking appliances, windows, lumber and more. Police recently caught one such suspect with the help of a drone.

Collin County construction crime

Anna, the northernmost city in Collin County, had a 2020 population of 16,000. That number has now doubled.

There are unavoidable growing pains that come along with Anna's success, according to Chief of Police Dean Habel, whose team took to the sky to arrest a man for bizarre burglaries in newly-constructed neighborhoods. 

The department was investigating dozens of electrical breaker thefts at newly-built homes. 

Flock Cameras identified a suspect vehicle. An off-duty detective notified an on-duty officer, who tracked the vehicle to a neighborhood. But instead of stopping the car, the officer stayed outside the neighborhood and deployed a drone.

What they're saying:

"We saw them case the entire neighborhood. They were looking in garages, hiding in shadows, going through different, you know, sort of maneuvers," said Habel.

After gathering footage for an hour, the officer arrested Raymond Fernando Salazar Melgar, a citizen of El Salvador. 

Inside the suspect's vehicle, officers found 288 stolen electrical breakers, valued anywhere from $50 to $75 each, which are often sold on the black market, according to the chief.

"Sometimes it is the installers that are actually, you know, part of this black market. This individual, our suspect, did have kind of a history of knowing how to install these, so, you know, he had kind of a leg up when it came to that," Habel said. 

Cleo Jackson is celebrating one year in Anna with his granddaughter in their new home. Jackson says he’s witnessed a lot of new construction since moving to the neighborhood, and had moved there largely due to the safety of the area. This type of incident was not one he expected when considering a new place to call home. 

All in all, crime appears to be rare in Anna. But for some neighbors, these burglaries are a reminder to always be aware of the possibility.

What's next:

Anna police say Melgar has been cooperative and provided info on homes he burglarized in and outside of Anna. He posted a $25,000 bond and has been released, according to jail records.

He had an accomplice with him who might also face charges.