NEWTON — A man who told police about a break-in to his friend's apartment was arrested for providing a false report after officers matched his sneakers to the footprint on the broken front door, police said today.
Authorities allege the man broke into his friend’s apartment to retrieve personal belongings Thursday afternoon, then told his friend and police he had seen two men running from the apartment. But detectives quickly grew suspicious – and later arrested the witness himself after the footprint was found on the kicked-in front door, said Chief Michael Richards.
Steven J. Fisher, a 22-year-old Stillwater man, was charged with providing false information to police, criminal mischief, possession of a hypodermic needle and possession of drug paraphernalia – after police discovered a glass marijuana smoking pipe and two empty heroin bags, said Chief Michael Richards.
A resident of the apartment had called police around 4 p.m. on Thursday to report a break-in at his Sussex Street residence, the chief said. Fisher, a friend of the victim, told detectives he had observed two men fleeing the scene toward Pine Street.
But the detectives started questioning the story after evaluating the statement and the evidence at the scene, the chief said.
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“They realized things weren’t adding up,” Richards said.
A footprint was found on the kicked-in door, and it matched Fisher’s sneakers, the chief said. Detectives then arrested Fisher and charged him with giving the false information, as well as the other offenses.
Fisher was later released pending a future court appearance.
Richards said there was no burglary charge, because the items taken from the apartment were Fisher’s – and nothing else was apparently stolen.