Man took his dog along on burglary, police say

A burglar took along his dog when he broke into a neighbor’s home Sunday night in the Holly Oak area, but an officer caught them leaving, New Castle County police said Monday.

Steven Joseph, 60, who lives near the burglarized home in the Holly Hill trailer park off Philadelphia Pike, was arrested with a loaded gun, more than 300 bags of heroin and a collection of old coins, military pins and other items stolen from the home, Officer First Class Tracey Duffy said.

A 911 call reported the burglary in progress about 6:50 p.m. in the 1300 block of Walnut St. in the Holly Hill trailer park off Philadelphia Pike, Duffy said.

The witness reported seeing a man with a dog enter the home, she said.

The arriving officer saw and arrested the man as he left the burglarized home, Duffy said.

The coin collection, military pins and other property taken from the home had a total value of less than $1,000, she said.

Police also seized a loaded handgun along with a nylon bag Joseph was carrying that held 318 bags of heroin totaling 4.77 grams and an undisclosed amount of cash, believed to be drug sale proceeds, Duffy said. The drugs and cash were his, she said, and not stolen in the burglary.

Police determined he had used a crowbar to enter the home, damaging the door as he did, Duffy said.

Joseph was charged for the burglary with possession of a firearm during commission of a felony, deadly weapon possession by a prohibited person, second-degree burglary, burglar tool possession, first-degree criminal trespass, theft and criminal mischief, she said.

He was banned from having guns due to a prior felony record, Duffy said.

For the heroin, he was charged with controlled substance possession with intent to deliver, she added.

Lacking a total of $32,000 bail, Joseph was committed to Young Correctional Institution in Wilmington.

He also was ordered to have no contact with the burglary victim.

Joseph’s mixed-breed dog was left with a neighbor as he was taken into custody, Duffy said.

She said she knew of no previous case of a burglary suspect taking along a dog while committing the crime.

Contact robin brown at (302) 324-2856 or rbrown@delawareonline.com. Find her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @rbrowndelaware.