Teens break into police chief's house

Conner Hinton, 17, of Sugar Land, has been charged with burglary in connection with a Feb. 8 break-in at the home of Sugar Land Police Chief Doug Brinkley. Conner Hinton, 17, of Sugar Land, has been charged with burglary in connection with a Feb. 8 break-in at the home of Sugar Land Police Chief Doug Brinkley. Photo: City Of Sugar Land Photo: City Of Sugar Land Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Teens break into police chief's house 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

Two days after a national magazine named Sugar Land one of the safest places in America, burglars broke into the police chief's home.

Police arrested Conner Hinton, 17, and Taylor Nuttal, 17, both of Sugar Land, on Friday, charging them with burglarizing the home of Police Chief Doug Brinkley.

Sugar Land police responded to a residential alarm in the 2000 block of Holly Glade Lane at 11:45 a.m., city spokesman Doug Adolph stated in a news release. The home is in the Glen Haven subdivision.

A back door was forced open, and several boards were missing from a portion of the fence that backs up to a greenbelt. Nothing inside the house was missing, according to Adolph.

A neighbor reported seeing two men climb over a fence near her house and provided descriptions to police. Just before the break-in, another resident called police to report two suspicious men in a vehicle parked in front of her house. Police located the vehicle shortly after the burglary and detained the teens.

Brinkley credited his home alarm for "scaring them away to get out sooner" from his residence. No one was at home when the burglars hit, he said.

Burglary notwithstanding, Brinkley said Sugar Land is "still one of the safest cities in America."

"Unfortunately my house was broken into last Friday," he said. "Anybody can be a victim of a crime - even the police chief."

GQ press recently named Sugar Land as America's 20th Safest City, based on an analysis of FBI crime statistics, city officials announced on Feb. 6. Sugar Land also was recognized as being the second safest city in Texas.

Brinkley credited a strong police presence, community partnerships and a commitment to technology for Sugar Land's low crime rate.