Photo: Trey Von Duus
September 17, 2021 – Santa Barbara, Ca.
The home of Santa Barbara County Fire Department’s public information officer Mike Eliason is obviously technologically “smarter” than the average burglar.
It was early in the evening of September 12th , when Eliason and his wife were out town on a brief vacation when he reported that their home security system “alerted him to an intruder” at their home. According to Eliason, “the guy pulled right in and parked in the driveway” and began walking around the residence in classic “casing the joint” protocol.
As Eliason observed the intruder from another city, he saw the suspect break into his house, at which point he called Santa Barbara Police Department Dispatch operators to report a burglary in progress. As he remained on the phone, Eliason was able to give a detailed description of the intruder as well as a moment-by-moment account of the burglar’s movements in the house.
Minutes later, SBPD patrol units arrived at the home and made their presence known to 21-year-old Buellton resident Trey Von Duus who was inside the premises. Von Duus initially refused to leave the home as he attempted to hide inside a bedroom. But Eliason was able to remotely open the window blinds allowing the cops to see Von Duus through the windows.
Initially refusing to step outside, Von Duus was eventually “detained” by a K9 team entering the house and subduing him. After the police dog had a taste of Von Duus, Von Duus was handcuffed and transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for treatment of dog bite wounds. Following his medical clearance, Von Duus was transported to Santa Barbara County Jail, where he was booked on charges of felony burglary, possession of a stolen vehicle, and resisting arrest, with his bail set at $50,000.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara Police/KEYT.com
