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Teen burglary suspect apprehended By JILL BRISKEY It's one thing to call the police if you have spotted a prowler is lurking in your backyard. It's quite another to actually confront the suspect, chase him down and tackle him while you're barefoot and armed only with a flashlight. But that's what Tamarack Drive resident Jeremy DaVee did late Wednesday night when he captured a local teen allegedly responsible for a recent string of east Medford burglaries and thefts. "I was so mad at this guy, but I didn't want to hurt him," DaVee, 34, said. "It was like something you would see on "COPS," only this was our neighborhood, and I was the one chasing him." Medford police, who arrived minutes after DaVee captured the youth, arrested the 15-year-old Medford boy. The teen - whose name is not being published because of Mail Tribune policy - was charged with three counts of first-degree burglary, seven counts of unauthorized entry of a vehicle, five counts of second-degree theft and three counts of criminal mischief. He was cited and released to his parents, according to Medford Police Lt. Tim George. The case has been referred to the Jackson County Juvenile Department, he added. "He's definitely been a one-kid crime spree in that area," George said. "We've been looking for him for a while. We didn't know who he was." George said Medford police were investigating a rash of car clouts that occurred in the residential community near the Oregon Hills subdivision. Three homes had also been burglarized. The crimes were taking place over the weekend, he said. A flier had been distributed throughout the neighborhood, DaVee said, warning residents to be on the lookout for a robber and to take care of their property. DaVee, a lumber worker who said he is now surprised by his actions, said the action began just as he and his wife Julie settled into bed Wednesday night. The couple were startled by a noise coming from outside their home. DaVee, who first checked on his sleeping children, said he was startled by his wife's voice. "She said, 'There's somebody out there!' I could hear the panic in her voice," he said. "There he was, outside, prowling around." While Julie DaVee called 911, Jeremy said he went outside to see what was going on. "He's checking on every door of every car that he goes by, seeing if any are unlocked," DaVee said of the teen's actions. "It just made me mad to see him doing that. That took a lot of audacity." DaVee said he followed the youth and confronted him in a nearby driveway. The two scuffled, he said, and the boy took off running. DaVee followed, losing his loafers in the chase. "He was ahead of me when Julie stopped him by yelling at him," DaVee said. "She said, 'You stop right there.'" That warning slowed the teen down, allowing DaVee to grapple him and hold him until police arrived. Nobody was injured, George added. "Well, my feet are all bloody and black and blue from running around barefooted," DaVee admitted. He's just happy the teen - a first-time offender who lived nearby on Hemlock Drive - was caught and hopes the boy will get some help. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.